IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 

1980 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


T 
t( 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
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□    Covers  damaged/ 
Cnuverture  endommag6e 

□   Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur^  et/ou  pellicul6e 

□    Cover  title  missing/ 
Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

□    Coloured  maps/ 
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□    Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

□    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

□    Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 


D 


D 


D 


Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serr6e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  «1e  la  marge  IntArieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  pv.-'<t  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajouties 
lors  d'lne  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6t(t  film6es. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppldmentaires: 


L'institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  4t4  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  methods  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiquAs  ci-dessous. 


I      I   Coloured  pages/ 


D 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag^es 

Pages  restored  and/oi 

Pages  restaur^es  et/ou  pelliculies 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxoi 
Pages  dicolories,  tachetdes  ou  piqu6es 


I      I   Pages  damaged/ 

I      I    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 

I      I    Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 


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si 
o* 
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□    Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d6tach6es 

□    Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

I      I    Quality  of  print  varies/ 


Quality  in6gale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  suppidmentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


Tl 
si 
Tl 
vv 

IV 
di 

61 

b< 
re 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totaiement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6t6  film6es  it  nouveau  de  fa^on  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


0This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 
Ce  document  est  film6  au  taux  de  reduction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 


10X 


14X 


18X 


22X 


26X 


30X 


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12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


n 

32X 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Ralph  PIckard  Bell  Library 
Mount  Allison  University 


L'exemplaire  film6  fut  reproduit  grfice  it  la 
g6n6rositd  de: 

Ralph  Pickard  Bell  Library 
Mount  Allison  University 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
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filming  contract  specifications. 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettetd  de  l'exemplaire  filmd,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  w<th  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprim6e  sont  filmds  en  commen^ant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  con.iijrte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  R^lon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmds  en  commenpant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impres'iion  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — ^-  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — »>  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  6tre 
filmds  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clich6,  il  est  film6  d  partir 
de  Tangle  sup6rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
iliustrent  la  mithode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

( 


■^nfiPfw^v7*pwf«iiiiwu  ■  HH   II  •      ip-  — -^-  -  -  —     '-^  ■ 


COMEDY  OF  TEREORS. 


BT 


JAMES   DeMILLE, 

AUTHOB    OF  "ia£  DODOE   CLUB,"  ETC.,  ETC. 


EEEI.^1 


99^ 


BOSTON: 
JAMES   R.  OSGOOD    AND    COMPANY, 

Latk  Tickkob  &  Fields,  and  Fields,  Osgood,  &  Co. 

1872. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1872, 

BY   JAMES   R.    OSGOOD  AND   COMPANY, 

in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


1% 
3361 


XJNJVBRSITY  Press  :  WetcH,  Bigblow,  &  Ca, 
Cambsiogb. 

Mount  AUisen  Univ«^ 

Ralph  PicKard  B^^" 

Library 


CONTENTS. 


I.  The  Man  with  the  Chignon 

II.  The  Misdirected  Letters  . 

III.  Rejected  Addresses 

IV.  Dealings  with  "  Moosoo  "  . 
V.  Despised  Love  . 

VI.  A  Duel  in  the  Dark 

VII.  A  Baffled  Flight    . 

VIII.  AthisMercv. 

IX.  An  Apparition  . 

X.  The  Haunted  Mind 

XI.  At  Sea        .       .       . 

XII.  In  Paris. 

XIII.  An  Unexpected  Call 

XIV.  An  Aggressive  Call 

XV.  Meeting  and  Parting 
XVI.  An  Irresistible  Appeal 

XVII.  A  Desperate  Project 

XVIII.  A  Terrible  Proposal   . 

XIX.  Threats  cut  Short  . 

XX.  Driven  to  Extremities 

XXI.  Laying  the  Ghost     . 

XXII.  In  the  Toils    .... 

XXIII.  Flight 

XXIV.  A  Rescue        .... 
XXV.  An  Overwhelming  Discovery 

XXV^I.  Anxious  Inquiries 

XXVII.  In  Space 

XXVI 1 1.  The  Secret  Place  of  Thunder 

XX J X.  Over  the  Clouds  and  over  the 

XXX.  Land  Ho! 

XXXI.  Out  of  Prison    .... 

XXXII.  In  ▲  Brougham      .       . 


Sea 


Pace 
I 

7 

12 
20 
27 

31 
36 

39 
45 
48 
S3 
57 
63 
67 
72 
76 
81 

85 
90 

94 

99 
103 
107 
112 
116 
121 
124 
129 
135 
139 
144 
149 


■   I  'V       ■! 


A  COMEDY  OF  TERRORS. 


THE  MAN  WITH  THE  CHIGNON. 

THE  elegant  residence  of  Mrs.  Lov- 
ell,  at  Montreal,  stood  just  where 
Blank  Street  terminates  in  Dash  Street, 
and  its  windows  commanded  an  ex- 
tensive view  of  the  former  thorough- 
fare. A  caller  was  just  leaving  the 
house ;  while  inside  was  Mrs.  Lovell 
herself,  in  such  a  position  that  she 
could  see  out  of  the  window  without 
being  visible,  and  her  eyes  were  fixed 
upon  the  caller  who  was  just  retiring. 
This  person  did  not  claim  her  attention 
long,  for  he  rapidly  descended  the 
steps,  and,  after  walking  down  the 
street  with  long,  swift  strides  the  length 
of  one  block,  he  turned  round  the  first 
corner  and  disappeared. 

Upon  this  Mrs.  Lovell  withdrew  her 
eyes  from  the  window  and  stood  for  a 
time  in  deep  thought.  Standing  in 
this  attitude,  she  showed  herself  an 
uncommonly  pretty  woman.  A  minute 
description  of  her,  however,  is  hardly 
necessary  just  now ;  suffice  it  to  say, 
that  Mrs.  Lovell  was  a  widow  ;  a  pro- 
found and  pronounced  brunette ;  young, 
wealthy,  elegant,  joyous,  and  also  very 
well  able  to  take  care  of  herself  in 
every  respect. 

After  standing  thus  for  some  time 
she  left  the  room,  and,  ascending  the 
stairs,  she  entered  an  apartment  at  the 
top,  by  the  landing. 

"  O  Maudie  dear  !  "  she  exclaimed 
in  an  excited  voice  as  she  entered, 


"who  do  you  think  has  been  here? 
what  do  you  think  has  happened  ?  O 
dear,  it 's  such  a  worry  !  " 

Her  abrupt  manner  and  excited 
words  aroused  a  young  girl  who  was  in 
the  room.  She  was  seated  in  an  arm- 
chair, one  hand  supporting  her  head, 
and  the  other  one  listlessly  holding  a 
letter. 

"Well,  Georgia  dear,"  said  she, 
turning  her  face,  "  what  is  it  ?  " 

The  face  which  she  thus  turned  was 
one  of  extreme  beauty  and  great  refine- 
ment of  feature,  and  was  pervaded  by 
an  expression  of  pensive  and  quiet  sad- 
ness. She  seemed  also  as  if  she  might 
have  been  dropping  a  tear  or  two  all 
by  herself.  There  was  a  certain  family 
likeness  between  the  two,  for  they  were 
sisters  ;  but  apart  from  this  they  were 
unlike,  and  when  together  this  dissimi- 
larity was  very  conspicuous.  Both 
were  brunettes,  but  the  fashion  of  their 
features  and  the  expression  of  their 
faces  were  different.  In  Mrs.  Lovell's 
face  there  was  a  very  decided  piquancy, 
and  various  signs  of  a  light  and  joy- 
ous temperament ;  while  Maud  showed 
nothing  of  the  kind.  At  the  present 
moment  the  sadness  of  her  face  might 
have  concealed  its  real  expression  ;  but 
any  one  could  see  in  it  the  unmistak- 
able signs  of  a  far  greater  depth  of  feel- 
ing than  was  known  to  her  sister. 

"  Maudie  dear  ! "  said  Mrs.  Lovell 
at  length,  after  some  silence. 

"Well,  Georgie,"  said  Maud,  lan- 
guidly. 

Mrs.  Lovell  sighed. 


r 


A  Covtcify  of  Terrors. 


"  I  'm  worried  out  of  my  life,  Maudio. 
What  in  the  world  I  am  to  do  I  really 
cannot  say.  1  'II  tell  you  what  I  '11  do," 
she  added,  after  a  pause,  "  I  '11  go  to 
Paris." 

"  Go  to  Paris  ! "  exclaimed  the  other, 
—  "  go  to  Paris  !  What  do  you  mean  ? 
What  has  happened  ?  What  put  such 
a  m.id  fancy  as  that  into  your  he.id.'"' 

"  I  '11  go  to  Paris,"  said  .Mrs.  Lovell, 
1  with  a  determined  t.ap  of  her  little  foot 
'  on  the  floor.  "  You  sec,  IMaudie,  I  've 
been  thinking  of  going  there  so  long, 
and  it 's  so  very  convenient  for  me, 
and  you  shall  go  with  me,  too,  you 
know  ;  and  this  is  just  the  time,  for  if 
we  put  it  otT  any  longer,  we  '11  be  too 
late,  won't  we,  Alaudie  ?  and  so  I  think 
we'd  better  go  by  the.nevt  steamer. 
What  do  you  say  ? " 

At  this  Maud  sat  upright,  and  looked 
at  her  sister  with  an  expression  of  in- 
tense aslunishment. 

"What  in  the  world  do  you  mean?" 
she  asked.  "  Go  to  Paris  !  and  by  the 
next  steamer.  Why,  Georgie,  are  you 
mad?" 

"  Mad  !  far  from  it.  I  'm  rcilly  in 
earnest,  you  know.  I  'm  going  by  the 
next  steamer.  O,  my  mind  is  quite 
made  up,  —  quite.  You  can  easily 
get  ready.  We  need  n't  get  any  new 
dresses  here.  It  will  be  so  utterly 
charming  to  get  them  in  Paris." 

"1  wonder  what  in  the  world  you  do 
mean,"  said  Maud,  in  bewilderment. 
"  You  can't  be  in  earnest." 

"  O,  but  I  really  am,  you  know.  I  'm 
in  trouble,  dear,  and  the  only  way  to 
get  out  of  it  is  to  go  to  Paris." 

"  Trouble!"  said  I\Iaud,  in  new  sur- 
prise ;  "■you  in  trouble  !    What  is  it, 
.Georgie  dear? " 

Mrs.  Lovell  sighed, 
i    "  O  well,  I  'm  beginning  to  be  wor- 
ried out  of  my  life  with  no  end  of  both- 
ers  and   torments,  and  I  want  to  fly 
from  them  all." 

"  Bothers  and  torments  ?  " 

"  Yes,  bothers  and  torments." 

"  What  ? " 

"  Why,  you  knoWj  people  fancy  I 
like  them,  and  come  and  try  to  get  me 
to   marry  them,  when   I   don't  really 


want  to  ;  and  I  'm  sure  I  don't  know 
what  I  am  to  do  alioul  it." 

"  People  ?  what  people  ?  Do  you 
mean  any  pco])le  in  particular  ?  Of 
course,  you  must  expect  to  be  very 
much  admired  ;  and  I  'm  sure  you 
ought  n't  to  regret  it,  if  you  are  ;  but 
why  that  should  trouble  you  I  confess 
I  'm  at  a  loss  to  see." 

"O,  it  isn't  tliat ;  it  isn't  general 
admiration,  of  course.  It's  an  unpleas- 
ant sort  of  particular  admiration  that  I 
refer  to,  that  makes  people  come  and 
bother  me  with  telling  me  how  fond 
they  are  of  ine  ;  and  I  feci  so  sorry  for 
them,  too ;  and  I  have  to  give  them 
pain  when  I  don't  want  to." 

"  Why,  Georgie  dear,  you  talk  as 
though  some  one  had  been  making  a 
proposal." 

"Of  course  I  do.  That's  just  what 
I  mean  ;  and  1  'm  sure  I  never  gave 
him  any  encouragement.  Now  did  I, 
Maudie  darling  ? " 

"Him?    Who?" 

"Why,  Mr.  Seth  Grimes." 

"Mr.  Grimes!"  exclaimed  Maud, 
with  an  indescribable  accent,  staring  in 
a  bewildered  way  at  her  sister. 

"Well !  what 's  the  matter  ?"  asked 
Mrs.  Lovell.  "  What  makes  you  stare 
so?" 

"  Why,  Mr.  Grimes  !  The  idea  of 
Mr.  Grimes  I  Why,  Georgie,  how 
could  he  possibly  have  ever  thought  of 
such  a  thing  ?     Mr.  Grimes  !  " 

And  Maud  sat  looking  unutterable 
things,  quite  overwhelmed  by  the  one 
stupendous  thought  of  Mr.  Grimes. 

"  I  'm  sure  I  don't  see  any  reason 
why  you  should  stare  so,"  said  Mrs. 
Lovell.  "  If  people  will  come  on  such 
errands,  I  don't  see  why  Mr.  Grimes 
should  not  come  as  well  as  anybody." 

"Mr.  Grimes  I  "said  Maud;  "why, 
it 's  perfect  audacity." 

"  No,  it  is  n't,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell. 
•'  It  is  n't  anything  of  the  sort.  But  I 
know  you  never  liked  him,  and  your 
bitter  prejudice  blinds  you  to  his  many 
admirable  qualities." 

"  Liked  him  !     Why,  did  you  ? " 

"  Well,  I  have  a  great  fancy  for  origi- 
nal people,  and  —  and  he  is  one." 


pc 

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A  Comedy  of  Tcrors, 


Maud, 


I?" 


"  Original  lie  certainly  is,  but  I 
should  use  anotlier  word." 

"  He  's  a  man  of  the  people,  of 
course." 

"That's  a  euphemism.  For  my 
part,  I  should  use  a  much  harsiicr 
word  to  express  my  idea  of  i\Ir.  Grimes, 
Georgia." 

"  Weil,  don't,  Maudic  dear,  or  I  shall 
be  vexed.  At  any  rate,  you  see,  I 
liked  him  because  he  was  so  —  so 
original,  you  know,  and  you  see  he  has 
misinterpreted  it ;  and  he  has  thought 
tliat  because  I  liked  to  talk  with  him 
I  would  be  equally  well  pleased  to  live 
with  him.  TJut  that  docs  n't  follow, 
I  'm  sure  ;  for  I  know  many  very,  very 
nice  people  that  I  like  to  talk  with,  but 
I  'm  sure  I  should  n't  at  all  like  to 
marry  them.  And  that 's  the  trouble 
about  Mr.  Grimes." 

"  I  'm  sure,"  said  Maud,  contempt- 
uously, "  I  do  not  see  why  you 
should  tolerate  such  a  person  for  one 
moment ;  and  I  've  often  wondered 
how  you  ever  became  acquainted  with 
him." 

Mrs.  Lovell  sighed. 

"Well,  Maudie  dear,"  said  she,  "it 
was  very  odd,  it  was  really  quite  an 
adventure  ;  and  I  suppose  I  may  as 
well  tell  you  all  about  it." 

"  Yes,  do,  dear,"  said  Maud.  "  You 
've  kept  awfully  close  about  this,  you 
know,  Georgie." 

"  Well,  you  know,  Maudie  dear," 
said  Mrs.  Lovell,  after  a  brief  pause, 
which  was  taken  up  with  collecting  her 
thoughts,  "  I  became  acquainted  with 
him  last  year.  I  was  at  Niagara.  One 
day  I  was  out,  and  it  was  a  dreadfully 
windy  day,  quite  a  gale.  I  had  put 
on  my  very  largest  chignon,  —  awfully 
thoughtless  in  me,  of  course,  but  then 
you  know  that 's  the  way  1  always  am, 
—  and  I  pinned  it  down  as  securely  as 
possible  before  venturing  forth.  The 
wind  proved  even  worse  than  I  had  an- 
ticipated ;  but  other  ladies  were  out, 
and  I  needed  an  airing  very  much,  and 
so  I  walked  on  till  I  found  a  place 
which  commanded  a  fine  view  of  the 
Falls.  It  was  a  terribly  windy  place, 
but  I  found  a  railing  where  I  could 


support  myself.  Several  ladies  and 
gentlemen  were  about,  and  among 
them  was  JMr,  Grimes.  I  was  n't  ac- 
quainted witii  him  at  all,  but  had  mere- 
ly heard  his  name  mentioned.  Well, 
you  know,  Maudie  dear,  I  was  just 
beginning  to  conclude  that  it  was  alto- 
gether too  windy  for  me,  when  all  of  a 
sudden  there  came  a  terrific  gust  of 
wind,  and  in  an  instant  it  tore  away 
all  my  head-dress,  —  hat,  chignon,  and 
all,  — and  wliisked  it  all  away  over  the 
cliff.  I  gave  a  scream,  half  of  fright 
and  h.alf  of  mortification.  I  was  in 
utter  confusion.  It  was  so  shocking. 
Such  an  exposure,  you  know.  And 
what  was  I  to  do  ?  Well,  just  as  I 
was  in  a  perfect  agony  of  shame,  and 
did  n't  dare  to  look  around  lor  fear  of 
meeting  the  eyes  of  people,  Mr.  Grimes 
suddenly  came  up.  '  Don't  distress 
yourself,  ma'am,'  said  he.  '  'T  ain't 
lost.     I  '11  get  it  in  five  minutes.' " 

"  He  did  n't !  "  exclaimed  Maud,  in- 
dignantly. "  What  effrontery  !  O,  my 
poor,  dear  Georgie,  how  you  must  have 
suffered  ! " 

"  Suffered  !  Why,  Maudie  dear,  it 
was  agony,  —  yes,  agony  ;  and  at  such 
a  time  !  Tears  of  shame  burst  from  my 
ejes,  and  I  could  n't  say  one  word. 
Well,  that  was  very  bad,  but  it  was 
nothing  to  what  followed.  After  all, 
you  know,  it  was  the  idea  of  the  thing 
that  was  the  worst.  In  reality  it  was 
not  so  very  bad.  You  know  what  an 
immense  head  of  hair  I  have,  all  my 
own  ;  I  could  do  without  chignons, 
for  that  matter  ;  so,  you  know,  if 
nothing  had  been  done,  it  mightn't 
have  been  noticed,  and  I  might  have 
retired  without  making  much  of  an  ex- 
posure. My  hair  was  all  tossing  about 
my  head  ;  but  ladies  often  lose  their 
hats,  and  my  appearance  Wouldn't 
have  been  very  bad,  now  would  it, 
Maudie  dear  ? " 

"  You  would  have  looked  perfect- 
ly lovely,"  said  Maud.  "  But  go  on. 
This  is  really  beginning  to  get  excit- 
ing." 

"  Well,"  continued  Mrs.  Lovell, 
"there  I  stood,  really  crying  with 
shame,  when  to  my  horror,  my  utter 


'  r 


^  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


horror,  I  saw  him  —  O  Maudie  dar- 
ling, what  do  you  think  he  did  ? " 

"What?  what?"  asked  Maud,  ea- 
gerly. 

"  Why,  Maudie,  he  began  to  go  over 
the  cliff." 

"Over  the  cliff!" 

"Yes,  over  the  cliff.  Wasn't  it  aw- 
ful ?  Not  merely  the  fact  of  a  man 
going  over  the  cliff,  but  going  over  it 
on  such  an  errand  !  And  imagine  me 
standing  there  in  public,  the  centre  of 
such  a  scene  as  that !  And  I  hate 
scenes  so  !  " 

"  Poor  darling  Georgie  ! "  sighed 
Maud. 

"Well,  you  know,  Maudie  dear," 
continued  Mrs.  Lovell,  "  I  was  utterly 
stupefied  with  astonishment  and  morti- 
fication. Before  I  could  utter  one  sin- 
gle word  he  was  out  of  sight.  I  dared 
not  look  round  for  fear  of  catching  the 
glances  of  people.  I  felt  all  their  eyes 
on  me,  and  longed  for  the  earth  to  open 
and  swallow  me  up.  I  had  a  wild  im- 
pulse to  run  ;  but  then,  you  know,  I 
felt  terribly  anxious  about  Mr.  Grimes. 
It  was  an  awful  thing,  to  think  of  a 
man  going  down  there,  and  on  such 
an  errand.  If  he  had  gone  down  to 
save  a  life,  it  would  have  been  sublime  ; 
but  going  down  to  save  a  chignon 
was  too  exquisitely  absurd.  Still,  I 
felt  that  his  life  was  really  in  danger, 
and  so  I  stood  there  in  terrible  sus- 
pense. 

"  I  really  do  not  know  how  long  I 
stood  there,  but  at  last  I  saw  some 
wretched  people  coming  forward,  look- 
ing so  odiously  amused  that  I  could 
have  almost  pushed  them  over.  They 
looked  down,  and  laughed,  and  one  of 
them  said  :  '  Hurra  I  he  's  got  it  !  ' 
Thospi  few  words  were  enough.  They 
showed  me  that  there  had  been  no  hor- 
rible accident.  In  a  moment  my  deep 
suspense  left  me,  and  the  only  feeling 
that  I  had  was  a  longing  to  get  away. 
For,  O  Maudie,  imagine  me  standing 
there,  and  Mr.  Grimes  approaching  me 
solemnly  with  my  chignon,  after  hav- 
ing saved  it  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  and 
making  a  formal  presentation  of  it  in 
the  presence  of  those  horrid  men  I  The 


thought  nearly  drove  me  wild.  I  turned 
away,  and  I  really  think  I  must  have 
run  all  the  way  back  to  the  hotel. 

"  Well,  on  reaching  the  hotel  I  went 
at  once  to  my  room,  and  shut  myself 
up.  I  had  all  sorts  of  fears,  and  all 
those  fears  were  fully  realized ;  for 
after  about  an  hour  a  gentleman  called 
and  sent  up  his  name  ;  and  who  do  you 
think  it  was  ?  Why,  Mr.  Grimes,  of 
course !  Now,  under  ordinary  circum- 
stances, his  astonishing  devotion  would 
have  touched  me  ;  but  that  dre.idful 
chignon  made  it  all  fearfully  ridiculous, 
and  all  of  the  ridicule  attached  itself  to 
nw.  What  was  more,  I  knew  perfectly 
well  that  he  had  brought  the  horrid 
thing  with  him,  on  purpose  to  restore 
it  into  my  own  hands.  That  was  an 
ordeal  which,  I  confess,  I  had  n't  the 
courage  to  face ;  so  I  cxcufied  myself 
and  was  very  ill.  I  expected,  of  course, 
that  he  would  leave  it." 

"  And  did  n't  he  ?  "  asked  Maud,  in 
wonder. 

"Leave  it?  No  indeed,  not  he. 
You  don't  know  Mr.  Grimes  yet, 
Maudie  dear." 

"  The  horrid  wretch  ! " 

"  He  is  a  noble-hearted  man,  and  you 
must  not  abuse  him,  or  I  shall  really 
feel  quite  angry  with  you." 

"  But  I  was  only  sympathizing  with 
you,  Georgie  dear !  I  did  n't  mean  any 
offence." 

"  No,  of  course  not,  dear.  I  know 
you  would  n't  hurt  my  feelings.  Well, 
you  know,  he  did  n't  leave  it,  but  car- 
ried it  off,  and  that  one  fact  filled  me 
with  a  new  horror.  In  the  first  place, 
I  was  afraid  my  chignon  would  become 
the  public  talk ;  and  then,  again,  1  felt 
sure  that  he  would  call  again,  bringing 
that  horrid  thing  with  him.  I  was  con- 
vinced that  he  had  made  up  his  mind 
to  deliver  it  into  my  hands  alone.  The 
thought  drove  me  to  despair.  And  so, 
in  my  desperation,  I  determined  to 
quit  the  place  at  once,  and  thus  get  rid 
of  all  my  troubles.  So  I  made  up  some 
excuse  to  my  friends,  and  left  by  the 
early  train  on  the  following  day  for 
home.  And  now  I  'm  coming  to  the 
end  of  my  story,  and  you  will  be  able 


J 


I  turned 
nust  have 
otel. 

ltd  I  went 
ut  myself 
s,  and  all 
11  zed  ;    for 
nan  called 
iho  do  you 
Crimes,  of 
,ry  circum- 
tion  would 
,t  dreadful 
ridiculous, 
ed  itself  to 
w  perfectly 
the  horrid 

to  restore 
lat  was  an 
hadn't  the 
iSed  myself 
],  of  course, 

d  Maud,  in 

id,  not    he. 
irimes   yet, 


lan,  and  you 
shall  really 

ithizing  with 
I't  mean  any 

ar.     I  know 
lings.    Well, 
5  it,  but  car-  , 
act  filled  me 
e  first  place, 
rould  become 
,  again,  I  felt 
;ain,  bringing 
1.    I  was  con- 
!  up  his  mind 
s  alone.    The 
air.    And  so, 
etermined    to 
d  thus  get  rid 
nade  up  some 
id  left  by  the 
wing  day  for 
:oming  to  the 
a  will  be  able 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors, 


to  understand  why  I  'm  so  determhied 
to  go  to  I'aris. 

"  About  three  months  ago  a  person 
called  on  me  here  at  my  own  house.  I 
went  down,  and  who  do  you  think  it 
was  ?  Why,  Mr.  Grimes  ;  and  he  had 
a  parcel  in  his  hand." 

"  O  dear  !  "  exclaimed  Maud.  "  Not 
the  chignon  !     O,  not  the  chignon  !  " 

"  Vcs,  Maudie  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Lov- 
ell,  sadly  and  solemnly,  "  the  chignon. 
When  I  entered  the  room,  he  was  so 
eager  and  so  excited  that  I  really  felt 
afraid.  It  was  only  with  the  greatest 
difficulty  that  I  could  keep  him  in 
bounds  at  all.  Besides,  the  remem- 
brance of  the  affair  was  utterly  ridicu- 
lous, and  this  absurdity,  together  with 
the  fact  that  he  had  done  a  wonderfully 
daring  thing  for  my  sake,  combined 
to  make  me  feel  embarrassed.  He, 
on  his  part,  h.id  no  end  of  things  to 
tell  me.  What  he  said  showed  an  as- 
tonishing amount  of  devotion.  Posi- 
tively, he  had  been  all  over  Canada 
searching  for  me.  He  had  spent 
months  in  this  search,  before  finding 
me.  And  now  he  appeared  before  me, 
with  joy  on  his  face,  exultation  in  his 
eyes,  and  that  horrid  chignon  in  his 
hands.  '  Here  it  is,'  he  said,  '  safe  and 
sound,  ma'am,  —  not  a  star  erased,  not 
a  stripe  effaced,  —  to  be  given  to  your 
own  hands  in  good  order  and  condi- 
tion ' ;  and  v.-as  n't  that  a  funny  speech 
to  make,  Maudie  darling?" 

"  Very,"  said  Maud,  dryly. 

"  Well,  you  know  after  that  he  went 
on  in  the  strangest  way.  He  said  he 
had  risked  his  life  to  get  it ;  and  had 
kept  it  for  months  till  he  loved  it  like 
his  own  soul ;  that  it  had  been  near 
him  day  and  night ;  and  that  to  part 
with  it  would  break  his  heart ;  and  he 
wanted  to  know  if  I  would  be  satisfied 
with  another  instead  of  this  one.  He 
had  got  one  made  in  New  York,  he 
said,  which  was  the  exact  counterpart 
of  this ;  and  entreated  me  to  let  him 
keep  my  chignon,  and  give  me  the 
other.  Well,  you  know,  it  was  a  queer 
thing  to  ask,  but  I  really  felt  awfully 
sorry  for  him,  and  he  pleaded  so  hard  ; 
and  he  had  done  so  much  ;  and  he  had 


taken  so  mnch  trouble ;  and  he  made 
such  a  point  of  it  you  know,  that —  " 

"What?"  exclaimed  Maud,  "you 
did  n't,  you  could  n't  —  " 

"  Yes,  but  I  could,  and  I  did  ! " 

At  this  Maud  looked  unuiterable 
t'lings. 

"  There  was  really  no  help  for  it," 
continued  Mrs.  Lovell,  placidly.  "  Why, 
only  think,  Maudie.  He  could  easily 
have  kept  it,  if  he  ha^  chosen,  without 
asking  me  at  all." 

"Yes,  but  don't  you  see,  Geo;^ie, 
that  there  is  all  the  diflference  in  the 
world  between  taking  a  thing  and  hav- 
ing it  given  to  you  ?  " 

"  O,  but  in  this  case,  where  he  had 
done  so  much,  you  know,  he  re.iUy  de- 
served it,  and  as  he  made  such  a  point 
of  it,  I  yielded  —  and  so  — he  has  it 
now." 

"  Well,"  said  Maud,  "  of  all  the  ri- 
diculous stories  that  I  have  ever  lis- 
tened to,  this  is  the  most  absurd.  I  've 
heard  of  lovers  wanting  a  lock  of  their 
ladies'  hair,  but  never  before  did  I  hear 
of  one  who  wanted  a  whole  head  of  it." 

"  Yes,  but  then,  you  know,  this  was 
n't  my  own  hair." 

"  But  that  only  makes  it  the  more 
absurd,"  said  Maud.  "  He  is  cherish- 
ing the  hair  of  some  other  p<.  'son,  — 
some  P'rench  peasant,  or  perhaps  the 
accumulated  locks  of  some  dozens  of 
them.  And  he  goes  into  raptures 
over  this  !  He  sits  and  gazes  upon 
it  in  fondest  admiration  !  He  devours 
it  with  his  eyes  I  He  passes  his 
fingers  through  its  dark  rippling  curls ! 
He  —  " 

**  He  does  n't  do  anything  of  the 
kind,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Lovell,  some- 
what sharply.  "  Mr.  Grimes  is  quite 
above  such  nonsense.  Of  course  he 
knows  what  it  really  is." 

"  But,  Georgie,  you  did  n't  take  his 
present,  did  you.    Of  course  not." 

"  O  yes,  but  I  did  —  " 

"You  did!" 

"  Why,  certainly." 

At  this  Maud  drew  a  long  breath. 

"  And  what's  more,"  continued  Mit 
Lovell,  "  I  've  worn  it  e'er  since." 

"  You  have  n't ! "  cried  M:tud. 


ir 


I' 

i! 


A  Comedy  of  Tcrors. 


"  I  liavc  it  on  now,"  said  Mrs.  I.ov- 
cll,  (iiiiclly.  "I'm  sure  it's  very  be- 
cominji,  aiiil  1  only  woniicr  iiow  lie 
could  gel  t)ne  so  good." 

"(leorgie,  1  declare  you  make  mc 
feci  positively  ashamed  of  you,"  cried 
Maud,  indignantly.  "  It'.s  really  ([uite 
shocking.  And  voii  oiwW  people  !  Why, 
you  are  usua'  ^o  very  fastidious,  you 
know,  and  v  stand  so  on  Ls  con- 
vounnrs,  that  1  (;.innot  understand  how 
you  ever  came  to  forget  yourself  so 
far." 

"  Non.sensc,  Maudic,"  said  Mrs.  Lov- 
cll.  "  1  can  judge  very  well  for  myselt", 
and  besides,  you  know  that  things  lh.it 
would  n't  do  for  you  are  all  very  well 
forme,  liut  let  that  pass,  it  happened 
as  I  say,  and  the  ccnisecpience  was  that 
Mr.  (Irimcs  saw  nxjre  in  that  little 
piece  of  gooil-nature  tlian  was  actually 
meant.  So,  you  know,  lie  devoted  him- 
self to  me,  and  for  the  List  two  or  three 
months  I  've  seen  very  much  of  him. 
I  liked  liim,  too.  lie  has  many  noble 
qualities;  a:.d  he  was  awfully  fond  of 
me,  and  I  felt  half  sorry  for  him,  and 
all  that.  I  liked  to  have  him  for  a 
friend,  but  the  trouble  was  that  was 
not  enough.  He  was  alway.s  too  ar- 
dent and  devotjd.  1  could  sec  his 
face  flush,  and  hear  liis  voice  tremble, 
whenever  we  met.  'Set  what  could  I 
do  ?  1  kept  as  cool  as  possible,  and 
tried  to  chill  him,  but  he  only  grew 
worse. 

"  y\nd  the  plain  fact  is,"  continued 
Mrs.  l.ovell,  "  he  never  would  have 
done,  never,  lie  has  noble  sentiments, 
it  is  true  ;  l)ut  then  he  has  siuh  funny 
manners,  lie  has  a  large  heart,  but 
dreadfully  big  hands,  lie  has  ".  truly 
Titanic  soul,  l)Ut  his  feet  are  of  the 
same  jiroportions.  And  all  that  is  very 
dreadful,  you  know,  Maudie.  And  what 
makes  it  worse,  I  really  like  him,  and 
I  feel  a  sense  of  dei^lorable  weakness 
when  I  am  with  him.  It  may  be  be- 
cause he  is  so  big  and  strong  and 
brave,  and  has  such  a  voice,  but  1  think 
it  m.iy  also  be  because  I  am  just  a  little 
bit  fond  of  him." 

'•  Fond  of  him  ?  O  Gcorgic  I  You 
don't  mean  it." 


"  O,  just  a  little  lit,  you  know,  only 
ever  so  little,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell,  ajHilo- 
getically.  "  P.ut  at  any  rate  it 's  really 
(ptite  shocking  to  think  how  I  lose  con- 
trol of  myself  and  —  " 

"And  what,  Gcorgic  dear?"  asked 
Maud,  anxiously,  as  Mrs.  l.ovell  pauseil. 

"  Why,  and  let  liim  treat  me  so —  " 

"  Treat  you  so  ?     I  low,  dear  ? " 

"Well,  1  Ml  tell  you.  It  was  to-day. 
you  know.  Of  course  you  undeisl.md 
Iiow  he  has  been  devoting  himscU"  lo 
me  for  the  past  few  months,  and  I  li.ue 
been  trying  to  tight  him  off.  Well,  to 
day  he  came,  and  he  took  me  by  storm, 
and  I  could  n't  fight  him  off  at  all ;  for 
before  I  could  ihink,  he  was  in  the 
middle  of  a  most  vehement  confession, 
and  ended  with  a  proposal.  Well,  you 
know,  I  never  was  so  embarrassed  in 
all  my  life,  and  I  really  did  n't  know 
what  to  do." 

"You  refused  him,  of  course." 

"  O,  but  it  was  n't  so  easy.  You  sec 
I  really  liked  him,  and  he  knew  it." 

"Knew  it.'  How  i\'iil<i  he  know 
it?" 

"  O,  you  know,  I  told  him  so." 

"Told  him!" 

"  Yes,  and  that  was  what  ruined  all, 
for  he  grew  dreadfully  bold,  and  began 
to  a|)propri,itc  mc  in  a  way  th.it  was 
really  alarming.  O  dear,  I  should  n't 
like  to  have  to  go  through  it  ag.iin.  \(iu 
see,  his  proposal  was  not  to  be  thought 
of,  but  then  it  was  not  easy  to  decline  it 
in  a  pleasant  and  agreeable  way.  What 
was  worse,  1  grew  embarrassed  and  lost 
all  my  usual  presence  of  mind,  .and  at 
last  had  to  tell  him  simply  that  it  could 
not  be. 

"  And  tlicn,  O  Maudic  dear,  he  v.is 
so  cut  up.  He  asked  mc  if  this  an- 
swer was  final,  and  I  told  him  it  was. 
Then  he  sat  silent  for  no  end  of  time, 
and  I  felt  so  dreadfully  weak,  that  I  am 
sure  if  lie  had  urged  me  1  really  don't 
sec  how  I  could  have  refused  him. 
liut  he  didn't.  He  was  so  simple- 
hearted  that  he  never  thought  of  trying 
to  change  my  decision.  At  l.isl  he 
broke  the  silence  by  asking  me  in  a 
dreadfully  hollow  voice  if  1  loved  an- 
other i  1  told  him  I  did  n't,  and  lie  jjuvc 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


now,  only 

I'll,   IlJMllo- 

it  "s  11', lily 
I  lose  t'on- 


■?•'  ;>sla-<l 

C'll  ll.UlSl'll. 

ic  .so  —  " 
ir.'" 

k'.Ts  lo-i!;iy. 

iuli'isl.\iul 

himself  lo 

111(1  1  li.ivc 

Well,  U) 

!  by  sloriii, 

;it  all ;  for 

as   in   tlio 

L'onfession, 

Well,  you 

irrasseil  in 

1  n't  know 

sc." 

You  sec 
^ew  it." 
lie   know 

I  so." 

ruinctl  all, 
and  lie,L;;ui 
y  that  w.>s 

should  n't 
again.  \'ou 
lie  thouj;lit 
;odcelino  it 
ivay.  What 
ied  and  lost 
lind,  and  at 
hat  it  could 

car,  1":  w.is 
if  this  all- 
ium it  was. 
nd  of  time, 
i,  that  I  am 
re. illy  don't 
ifuscd  him. 
so  sini|)lc- 
ht  of  tryinjj; 
At  last  he 
ng  mc  in  a 
I  loved  an- 
iiid  he  gave 


a  prcat  sigh  of  relief.  Then  he  asked 
iiie  ill  a  still  more  doleful  voice  if  I 
wouUl  allow  him  to  keep  th.it  wretched 
thing,  the  chignon,  you  know.  He  .said 
he  would  like  some  small  token —  " 

".Small  token!''  crieil  Maud,  "a 
whole  chignon  !  O  dear  !  Ceorgic,  do 
you  think  he  intends  having  it  put  in  a 
locket .?  " 

"  I  don't  know  what  he  intends.  I 
only  know  that  I  feel  very,  very  sad 
and  sorry  for  him,  and  did  n't  dre.ini  of 
refusing.  I  would  n't  look  him  in  the 
face,  but  sat  there  looking  as  silly  as 
possible.  .So  at  last  he  rose  to  go  ;  I 
rose  too,  and  felt  so  very  nervous  that 
1  couhl  n't  even  raise  my  eyes." 

"  O  C.eorgie,  Cieorgie,  how  very,  very 
silly  you  were,  poor  tlarling  !  " 

"  I  know  1  was,  Maudie,  and  I  knew 
it  at  the  time,  but  how  couUl  1  help  it  ?" 

"  Well,  dear  ?  " 

"  Well,  then,  you  know  —  " 

Mrs.  Lovell  hesitated. 

"  What  ?  " 

"  Why,  we  stood  in  that  way  for  some 
time,  and  I  wondered  what  he  was  do- 
ing, but  did  n't  dare  to  look  uj),  and 
then  at  last  he  took  my  liaiul  and  said, 
'  ( lood  by,'  in  a  shockingly  hoarse  voice. 
His  hand  was  like  ice,  and  my  liand 
trembled  excessively  from  excitement, 
and  then,  too,  I  felt  drcailfully  sorry  for 
him,  so  1  said,  '  Clood  by,'  and  then, 
Maudie,  he,  the  poor  fellow,  stooped 
down  — and  put  his  arms  round  me  — 
and  kisseil  me." 

"He  what !  "  cried  Maud. 

"  O.  you  need  n't  be  so  awfully  indig- 
nant, Maudie,  I  say  it  calmly,  he  kissed 
me,  on  my  forehe.id  ;  but  1  don't  feel 
quite  so  calm  now,  when  1  think  of  that 
hot  tear  of  his  that  fell  on  my  cheek." 

Mrs.  Lovell  sighed. 

IMaud  looked  earnestly  at  her,  and 
both  sat  in  silence  for  some  lime. 


II. 

THK   MISDIRKCTKl)   LKTTKRS. 

"  You  see,  Maudie,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell, 
after  a  prolon'j;ed  silence,  "  1  am  really 


in  earnest  about  going  to  I'aris,  and 
I  '11  tell  you  exactly  why.  It 's  all  Mr. 
Grimes.  1  h.ive  refused  him,  and  he 
went  away  heartbroken,  and  all  tli.it ; 
but  I  have  a  dreadful  presenlinient  that 
he  will  be  back  again,  liringing  that 
horrible  chignon  with  him,  and  making 
fresh  protestations.  I  like  him  very 
well,  .as  I  h.avc  explained,  but  1  don't 
want  to  marry  him,  of  course,  or  any 
other  person.  'I'lie  trouble  is,  however, 
that  I  have  no  confidence  in  myself,  I 
am  so  shockingly  weak  ;  and  1  'm  terri- 
bly afraid  that  he  will  come  again  and 
persuade  me  to  do  something  very, 
very  silly.  Why,  Maudie  ilear,  when  I 
think  of  what  I  have  just  escaped,  I 
really  tremble.  1  'm  sure  if  he  had 
only  been  a  little  more  urgent,  1  really 
don't  know  what  would  have  become 
of  me.  And  then,  think  of  the  name, 
—  Grimes!  Mrs.  Grimes  I  Why,  it 
really  sends  a  cold  shu.lder  through 
me.  Really,  Maudie  darling,  1  'm  afraid 
to  stay  here  any  longer  than  I  can  help. 
He  will  be  here  again,  and  I  shall  li.ivc 
to  sec  him.  Of  course  I  will  man.ige 
so  as  not  to  see  him  alone  again,  but  I 
cannot  always  have  you  with  me,ai.d  he 
will  be  sure  to  find  me  some  day.  And 
then  think  of  my  fate!  O  yes,  I  must 
go.  and  I  sh.ill  go  immediately.  I  have 
made  up  my  miiiil  to  leave  by  the  very 
next  steamer.  Really  I  shall  never 
feel  safe  till  I  have  the  ocean  between 
me  anil  Mr.  Grimes." 

"  I  think,  on  the  whole,  Georgic  dear, 
that  it  would  be  a  very  good  plan.  You 
expect  me  to  go  with  you  .'  " 

"  Of  course,  darling  ;  did  n't  I  s.iy  so 
at  the  very  first .' " 

"Yes,"' said  Aland,  slowly,  and  in  the 
tone  of  one  speaking  to  herself.  "  \'es. 
it  is  betier  so,  better  for  both  of  us,  the 
best  th'iig  now  —  " 

.She  .sighed  heavily. 

At  this  Mrs.  Lovell  looked  earnestly 
at  her  sister  and  seemed  struck  liy 
something  in  her  appearance. 

"  Why,  Maudie  !  what 's  the  matter 
with  you  f  "  Siie  exclaimed. 

"  With  me  ?  O,  nothing,"  said  Maud. 

"  r>ut  you  're  shockingly  i)ale,  and 
you  've  been  crying ;  and  1  'vc  been  so 


.\^ 


8 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


i,.i 


•III 

,llM 


W 


taken  up  by  my  own  worries,  that  I 
never  noticed  it  till  now ;  but  now  as 
I  look  at  you  I  see  plainly  that  some- 
thing is  the  matter.  What  has  hap- 
pened ?  It  must  be  something  dread- 
ful. You  really  look  heart  -  broken 
about  something.  Why,  my  poor,  dear, 
sweet  darling  Maudie  !  " 

Full  of  tender  pity  and  aflfection,  Mrs, 
Lovell  went  over  to  her  sister,  and, 
kneeling  on  the  floor  by  her  side,  she 
twined  her  arms  around  her,  and  kissed 
her.  Maud  sat  for  a  moment  as  th  igh 
trying  to  control  her  feelings,  but  sud- 
denly gave  way,  and,  letting  her  head 
fall  on  her  sister's  shoulder,  she  flung 
her  arms  around  her  and  burst  into 
tears. 

"  You  have  some  trouble,  darling," 
said  Mrs.  Lovell.  "  Tell  it  to  me,  tell 
it  to  your  own  Georgie."  And  then  she 
proceeded  to  kiss  Maud,  and  soothe  her 
and  coax  her  to  give  her  her  confi- 
dence, until  at  length  Maud  promised 
that  she  would.  But  it  was  some  time 
before  she  could  recover  from  the  agi- 
tation into  which  she  had  fallen.  She 
raised  herself,  and  tried  to  control  her 
feelings ;  but  having  yielded  to  them 
once,  it  was  not  very  easy  to  regain  her 
composure,  and  it  was  some  time  be- 
fore she  could  speak. 

"  O  Georgie,"  she  said,  at  last,  "  I  'm 
in  such  dreadful  trouble,  and  I  'm  sure 
I  don't  know  how  it  happened  or  how 
it  will  end,  or  what  I  ever  shall  do." 

"  Only  fancy  !  "  said  Mrs.  Lovell, 
"  and  I  've  been  so  selfish  that  I  never 
notired  this  ;  but  then,  I  'm  sure  I 
should  never  have  thought  oiyou  being 
in  trouble,  darling.  How  can  trouble 
ever  come  ntur you  ?  '\ 

"  I  'm  sure  I  don't  understand  it," 
said  Maud,  mournfully. 

"  But  what  is  it  all  about  ?  Tell  me 
what  it  is,  as  far  as  you  know.  For  my 
part,  I  can't  imagine  even  a  cause  for 
trouble  to  you" 

"  I  'm  in  dreadful,  dreadful  trouble," 
sighed  Maud.  "  Mr.  Carrol,  you  know." 

"  Mr.  Carrol !  " 

"Yes.     He  — he  — "     Maud  hesi- 
tated. 
..    "  What  ?  he  did  n't  propose,  did  he  ? 


not  another  proposal  ?  Mr.  Carrol ! 
Well,  Maudie  dear,  I  remember  hav- 
ing a  vague  suspicion  that  he  was  fond 
of  you  ;  but  then,  I  was  so  bothered, 
you  know,  that  I  did  n't  think  very 
much  about  it.  So  he  proposed,  did 
he  ?  Well,  I  always  liked  him,  and  I 
think  you  did  too." 

"Yes,"  sighed  Maud;  "I  did,  I 
really  liked  him." 

"  I3ut  when  did  he  propose  ?  It 's 
very  strange.  How  very  sly  you  've 
been,  Maudie  dear." 

"  Why,  he  wrote  a  letter." 

"  Wrote  ?  What !  wrote  ?  O  dear !  I 
thought  it  was  only  old  men,  weary  of 
the  world,  that  wrote  when  they  pro- 
posed. To  think  of  Mr.  Carrol  writing! 
Only  fancy !  I  'm  sure  I  never  would 
have  thought  that  of  him." 

"Well,"  said  Maud,  mournfully,  "he 
apologized  for  writing,  and  said  the 
reason  was  that  he  could  never  see  me 
alone,  and  was  anxious  to  know  his 
fate.  You  see  you  and  I  were  always 
together,  Georgie  dear,  and  so  he  chose 
to  write  to  me  about  it." 

"  Well,  that  is  certainly  a  justifica- 
tion, Maudie,  for  we  always  are  togeth- 
er, as  you  say ;  and  now  that  I  think  of 
it,  I  don't  see  how  any  one  could  have 
ever  had  a  chance  to  see  you  alone. 
But  I  was  always  thoughtless.  Well, 
Mr.  Carrol  proposed,  as  you  say ;  and 
what  did  you  say  ?  Did  you  accept  him  ? 
I  suppose  you  did,  I  even  hope  you  did ; 
for  now,  when  I  come  to  think  of  it, 
he  seems  to  me  to  be  admirably  suited 
to  you.  He  is  young,  handsome,  and 
evidently  very  fond  of  you  ;  he  's  rich, 
too,  but  n  course  I  don't  care  for  that, 
for  reasons  which  I  have  already  ex- 
plained, you  know.  So  I  really  hope 
you  did  accept  him." 

Maud  drew  a  long  breath. 

"  Yes,  Georgie  dear,  but  that  was  n't 
all.  I  received  another  proposal  at  the 
same  time." 

"  Another  proposal ! " 
\  "  Yes,  and  who  do  you  think  it  was 
from  ?    Why,  from  that  odious  French- 
man who  calls  himself  the  Count  du 
Potiron,  and  a  very  suitable  name  it  is . 
for  such  a  man." 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


"  The  Count  du  Potiron  ! "  repeated 
Mrs.  Lovell.  "  How  perfectly  prepos- 
terous ! " 

♦'  Perfectly,"  echoed  Maud.  "  Why," 
really  I  had  scarcely  ever  spoken  to  him, 
you  know.  I  noticed,  of  course,  that 
there  was  a  great  tendency  on  his  part  to 
those  galanterics  which  every  French- 
man considers  himself  bound  to  offer  ; 
but  I  really  never  suspected  that  he 
meant  anything  by  them.  Even  when 
I  received  his  proposal,  it  only  amused 
me,  and  I  scarcely  gave  it  a  thought 
until  to-day." 

"  To-day  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Lovell ;  "  well, 
what  happened  to-day  ? " 

"Why,"  said  Maud,  "to-day  I  find 
that  some  dreadful  mistake  has  been 
made  j  but  how,  or  why,  or  by  whom  I 
cannot  quite  make  out." 

"Tell  me  all  about  it,  dear,"  said 
Mrs.  Lovell,  earnestly ;  "  perhaps  I  can 
help  you  to  find  out." 

"  Well,  Georgie,  you  know,  of  course, 
I  like  Mr.  Carrol,  and  so,  — why,  when 
he  asked  me,  —  I  —  I  wrote  him  that 
—  well,  I  accepted  him,  you  know,  and 
at  the  same  time  I  wrote  that  absurd 
Frenchman  a  civil  note,  declining  his 
proposal,  of  course.  Well,  Georgie 
dear,  I  waited,  and  waited,  and  for  two 
or  three  days  I  expected  to  see  Mr. 
Carrol.  You  know  how  often  he  used 
to  come.  Well,  he  did  n't  come  at  all, 
but  yesterday  that  odious  Frenchman 
called." 

"  I  remember,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell. 

"  Well,  I  would  n't  see  him." 

"Yes." 

Maud  was  silent  for  a  time,  and  at 
length  continued:  "This  morning  I 
received  a  most  singular  note  from  him. 
He  addressed  me  by  my  Christian 
name,  and  told  me  that  my  acceptance 
of  his  proposal  had  overwhelmed  him 
with  the  profoundest  joy.  My  accept- 
ance of  his  proposal !  Think  of  that, 
Georgie  !  And  I  had  rejected  him  pos- 
itively, and  almost  contemptuously." 

"  Good  heavens  !  Maudie,  dearest, 
what  is  the  meaning  of  it  all  ?" 

"  Wait  a  moment,"  said  Maud,  draw- 
ing a  long  breath,  and  speaking  in  an 
excited  manner.    "Wait  till  you  hear 


all.  Such  a  letter,  of  course,  surprised 
me,  and  at  the  same  time  excited  all 
sorts  of  fears.  I  could  n't  understand 
it  at  all.  I  suspected  that  I  must  have 
made  some  horrible  mistake  of  the 
most  stupid  kind.  My  anxiety  was  in- 
creased by  the  silence  of  Mr.  Carrol. 
I  had  accepted  him,  but  he  had  neither 
called  on  me  nor  written.  I  was  bit- 
terly mortified,  and  afterwards  dread- 
fully anxious  ;  and  though  I  began  to 
fear  that  some  mistake  had  been  made, 
I  really  did  not  believe  it  till  I  got 
that  dreadful  letter  from  the  French- 
man." 

"  Maudie  darling,  you  really  terrify 
me,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell.  "  I  have  a  sus- 
picion that  is  positively  quite  shocking." 

"This  afternoon,  said  Maud,  in  a 
tremulous  voice, — "  this  afternoon,  just 
after  lunch,  I  got  this  letter.  It 's  from 
Mr.  Carrol.  Read  it,  and.tell  me  what 
you  think  about  it." 

With  these  vords  she  handed  to 
Mrs.  Lovell  the  letter  which  all  this 
time  she  had  been  holding  in  her  hand. 
Mrs.  Lovell  took  it  in  silence,  and, 
opening  it,  she  read  the  following:  — 

"  Dear  Miss  Heathcote  :  If  you 
wished  to  crush  me,  your  wish  is  grati- 
fied. I  am  crushed  utterly,  and  am 
now  in  the  lowest  state  of  prostration 
in  which  even  you  would  wish  to  see 
me. 

"  I  received  your  reply  to  my  letter 
two  days  ago,  and  would  have  acknowl- 
edged it  before,  but  I  did  not  do  so, 
partly  because  I  supposed  th.-it  any  fur- 
ther remarks  from  me  would  be  unwel- 
come, but  more  particularly  because  I 
did  not  feel  altogether  able  to  write. 

"  I  expect  to  leave  this  place  to-day, 
and  forever.  All  my  arrangements  are 
made,  and  you  and  I  will  never  meet 
again.  Under  the  circumstances,  there- 
fore, I  hope  you  will  forgive  me  for  say- 
ing that  your  rejection  of  my  offer  might 
have  been  made  in  terms  a  little  less 
cruel  and  cutting.  After  all  that  has 
passed  between  us,  I  think  I  deserved 
something  more  than  a  note  such  as 
the  one  you  thought  fit  to  send  me.  It 
seems  tome  that  anyone  with  ordinary 


lO 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


III 


■II 


.11 

i! 


kindliness  of  heart  would  have  been 
more  willing  to  save  one  from  pain  and 
inortification  than  to  inflict  it.  After 
all,  ni)'  oftence  was  not  so  very  great  as 
to  be  unpardonable.  It  only  consisted 
in  the  avowal  of  my  love  for  you. 

"  I  might  say  very  much  more,  but  I 
think  it  is  better  to  leave  it  unsaid. 
At  any  rate  you  and  I  now  part  for- 
ever ;  but  whether  your  peculiar  mode 
of  dealing  with  me  will  make  you  very 
much  happier  or  not,  the  future  alone 
can  determine. 

"  Yours  truly, 

"Paul  Carrol." 

l\Irs.  Lovell  read  this  letter  over 
twice.  Then  she  sat  and  thought. 
Then  she  read  it  again.  After  this, 
she  looked  fixedly  at  Maud,  whose  pale 
face  confronted  hers  with  an  expression 
of  utter  woe  that  was  pitiable  to  wit- 
ness. 

"  This  is  horrible,  simply  horrible," 
said  Mrs.  LovcU.  "  I\Iy  poor  darling, 
how  could  it  have  happened  ?  It's  all 
some  frightful  mistake." 

"  And,  O  Georgie  dear !  I  wrote  him 
the  very  kindest,  kindest  letter,"  said 
Maud.  "I  told  him  how  I—"  Dut 
here  a  great  sob  burst  from  her,  and 
choked  her  utterance,  and  she  buried 
her  face  in  her  hands  and  wejjt  aloud. 
Mrs.  Lovell  drew  her  towards  her,  and 
tried  to  soothe  her  with  loving  caresses 
and  gentle  words  ;  but  Maud's  grief  was 
too  great  for  consolation,  and  it  was 
very  long  before  she  was  able  to  over- 
come it. 

"  He  's  gone,  gone  forever,  and  I  Ml 
never  see  him  again  !  "  she  murmured 
over  and  over  again  amid  her  tears. 
"  And  I  was  expecting  him,  and  want- 
ing to  see  him  so  !  " 

"  Poor  dear  darling  !  "  sighed  Mrs. 
Lovell ;  after  which  she  sat  for  some 
time  with  an  expression  of  deep  per- 
plexity on  her  pretty  face,  endeavoring 
to  fathom  the  mystery  of  this  some- 
what singular  affair. 

"  Of  course,  Maudie  dearest,"  said 
she,  at  last,  "there  has  been  some  mis- 
take, and  you  yourself  must  have  made 
the  mistake.    There  is  only  one  thing 


possible,  yet  it  really  seems  too  absurd. 
After  all,  though,  it  is  positively  the 
only  thing  that  can  account  fur  it,  and 
it  is  just  possible.  Uon't  you  think  so, 
darling .? " 

"Don't  I  think  what?  You  don't 
say  what  it  is  ?  " 

"  Weir  I  was  thinking  that  it  was 
just  possible  tl:at  you,  in  your  excite- 
ment, which  was  vory  natural  under 
the  circumstances,  you  know,  —  that 
you  might  have  made  a  dreadful  blun-^ 
der  in  the  address,  and  d'rected  the 
Count's  letter  to  Mr.  Carrol,  and  Mr. 
Carrol's  letter  to  the  Count." 

"  And  that 's  the  very  thing  I  have 
been  suspecting,"  exclaimed  Maud,  in 
atone  of  dismay;  "but  it's  so  shock- 
ing that  I  don't  dare  to  think  of  it." 

"Well,  darling,  won't  you  acknowl- 
edge that  it  fs  possible  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  it  is  possible,  but  not 
probable." 

"  Well,  now  let  us  see  about  the 
probability  of  it,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell, 
putting  herself  in  an  attitude  of  pro- 
found reflection.  "  In  the  first  place 
you  answered  the  Count's  letter." 

"  Yes." 

"  And  then  Mr.  Carrol's." 

"  Yes." 

"  Now  do  you  remember  whether 
you  addressed  each  one  immediately 
after  writing  it,  or  waited  till  you  had 
finished  your  writing  and  then  ad- 
dressed both  ? " 

"  O,  I  remember  that  perfectly  well. 
I  did  not  address  the  letter-,  'uitil  after 
I  had  finished  both.  I  never  do  when 
I  have  more  than  one  to  write." 

"  Well,  of  course,  you  were  a  little 
agitated,  particularly  after  your  last  ef- 
fusion to  Mr.  Carrol.  It  was  very  nat- 
ural. And  you  were  excited,  you  know, 
Maudie  dear.     You  know  you  were." 

"  I  suppose  I  may  have  been  a  little 
excited." 

"  Well,  is  n't  it  possible,  or  even 
probable,  that  in  your  excitement  you 
may  have  put  the  letters  in  their  en- 
velopes and  addressed  each  of  them  to 
the  wrong  person  altogether  ? " 

Maud  gave  a  heavy  sigh,  and  looked 
despairingly  at  her  sister. 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


II 


0  absurd, 
ivcly  the 
or  it,  and 

think  so, 

'ou  don't 

\t  it  was 
ur  excite- 
ral   under 
w,  —  that ' 
dful  blun-^_ 
ected   the 

,  and  Mr. 

I) 

ng  I  have 
Maud,  in 
so  shock- 

:ofit." 

1  acknowl- 

:,  but  not 

about  the 
rs.  LovL'U, 
de  of  pro- 
first  place 
letter." 


cr  whether 
mmediately 
ill  you  had 
I    then    ad- 

rfecdy  well, 
antil  after 
•cr  do  when 
rite." 

,vere  a  little 
your  last  ef- 
as  very  nat- 
d,  you  know, 
,ou  were." 
been  a  little 

)le,  or  even 

:iteiTient  you 

n  their  en- 

h  of  them  to 


;r 


?" 


,  and  looked 


"  Well,  now,  Maudie  de.lr,"  contin- 
ued Mrs.  Lovell,  "  there  's  another 
thing  I  should  like  to  ask.  I  should 
like  to  know  the  general  nature  of  each 
letter,  so  as  to  see  if  there  was  any- 
thing in  eitlier  of  them  which  might 
sho'.v  the  recipient  that  it  was  a  mis- 
take. A  great  deal  depends  on  that, 
you  know.  Tell  me  now  —  I  don't 
want  to  get  your  secrets,  you  know, 
I  only  want  to  help  you.  Let  us  be- 
gin with  the  one  you  wrote  first,  what 
did  you  say  to  the  Count  ?  " 

"  Weil,  Georgie,  it  was  a  very  cool 
and  civil  rejection,  that  was  all.  At 
first  I  thought  of  writing  in  the  third 
persoh,  but  I  concluded  that  it  was 
better  to  do  so  in  the  first ;  so  I  told 
him  that  I  regretted  that  he  had  writ- 
ten to  me  in  that  way,  and  hinted  that 
there  Iiad  been  nothing  in  our  mutual 
relations  to  warrant  his  sending  such 
a  proposal  to  me  ;  and  I  very  civilly 
hoped  that  he  would  not  feel  disap- 
pointed." 

"  And  there  was  nothing  more  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Nothing  which  might  show  that  it 
was  not  for  Mr.  Carrol  ;  no  allusions 
to  his  being  a  foreigner,  for  exam- 
ple?" 

"  Certainly  not.  It  was  so  very  gen- 
eral in  its  terms  that  it  would  have 
done  to  insert  in  a  Complete  Letter- 
Writer.  But  then,  Georgie  darling, 
that  is  the  very  thing  that  should 
have  excited  Mr.  Carrol's  suspicions, 
and  made  him  sure  that  such  a  letter 
could  not  have  been  intended  for 
him." 

"  Well,  Maudie,  men  are  such  odd, 
unreasonable  creatures,  you  ^now,  that 
there  's  no  knowing  1  ow  they  will  act, 
particularly  in  love  afl'pirs.  I  'm  afraid 
he  must  have  accepted  the  letter  as 
your  own  actual  answer  to  his,  or  else 
how  could  he  have  written  in  such  a 
very  shocking  way  ?  But  now  tell  me 
about  the  other." 

"Well,  I  wrote  to  Mr.  Carrol  the 
very  kindest,  kindest  letter  that  I  could 
compose.  I  'ni  sure  I  said  everything 
that  he  could  expect,  and  I  even  ex- 
pressed a  wish  to  see  him  soon." 


"  Did  you  make  any  very  particular 
allusions  to  any  particular  incidents.'" 

"  O  no  ;  it  waa  only  a  general  ex- 
pression of  —  well,  you  know  what, 
and  all  that  sort  of  thing." 

"  How  did  you  begin  it  ?  Not  with 
«  Dear  Sir  '  ?  " 

"  No.  I  said,  '  My  dear  Mr.  Car- 
rol.' " 

"  And    how    did    you    begin    the 
Count's  .?  " 
^     "  .Simply  with  '  Dear  Sir.' " 

•'  Not  '  Dear  Monsieur  le  Comptc,' 
or  '  Dear  Count ' ?  " 

"  Certainly  not.  The  first  was 
French,  which  would  be  out  of  place 
in  an  English  letter,  and  the  other 
seemed  a  little  famili.T,  so  I  took 
refuge  in  the  simple  fonnula  of  '  Deas 
Sir.' " 

"Well,  the  Count  got  the  letter 
which  began,  *  My  dear  Mr.  Carrol.' " 

"  He  must  have,  if  I  did  make  the 
mistake." 

"  You  are  sure  that  you  began  it  in 
that  way." 

"  O  yes." 

"  Well,  if  you  did,  I  don't  see  what 
the  Count  could  make  out  of  it.  He 
must  have  seen  that  it  was  not  for  him- 
self, "e  's  acquainted  with  Mr.  Car- 
rol, too,  and  must  have  understood  that 
it  was  for  him.  But  then  again  he 
must  have  believed  that  it  was  for  him- 
self Even  French  assurance  could  not 
make  him  appropriate  a  letter  which  he 
could  see  so  plainly  was  addressed  to 
another  man." 

"There  is  only  one  thing  that  I  can 
think  of,"  said  Maud,  dolefully,  "  and 
I  've  thought  of  it  frequently  ;  for  all 
this  was  on  my  mind  before  you  came 
in."  ! 

"  What  is  that  ?  " 

"Well,  it  is  this.  I  have  thought 
that  it  is  just  possible  for  my  writing 
to  be  a  little  illegible ;  my  hand  is 
very  angular,  you  know,  and  the  o's 
are  open,  and  I  don't  cross  my  /'s,  and 
all  that  sort  of  thing.  I  find  now  that 
in  writing  the  name  of  Carrol  rapidly, 
it  does  bear  a  remote  resemblance  to 
the  word  '  Count.'  I  dare  say  you 
would  show  the  same  resemblance  if 


iIlT 


13 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


■  II 
ii.il 

|..M 


III  1 1 

'  '|l 

J  '   I 


li 


1'! 


you  were  to  write  it.  Now  look  at 
this." 

And  Maud  went  over  to  her  writing- 
desl{,  and  wrote  the  name  "  Carrol  " 
several  times. 

"  There  certainly  is  a  resemblance, 
as  you  say,"  remarked  Mrs.  Lovell,  as 
she  looked  at  the  writing,  which  was  in 
the  most  pronounced  angular  "  lady's 
hand."  "There  really  is  quite  a  re- 
semblance," she  repeated,  "  though  the 
words  are  so  unlike.  But  then,  you 
know,  Maudie  dear,  you  say  you  wrote 
*  My  dear  Mr.  Carrol ' ;  would  n't  it 
seem  a  little  odd  to  him  to  read «  My 
dear  Mr.  Count'?" 

*'  O,  he  would  have  no  trouble  about 
that,"  said  Maud,  mournfully.  "  He 
might,  in  the  first  place,  attribute  it  to 
my  ignorance  of  the  proper  style  of 
addressing  him,  or,  what  is  still  more 
likely,  he  would  probably  take  the 
'Mr.'  as  a  plain  *M,'  and  would  read 
it,  '  My  dear  M.  Count,'  which  would 
n't  seem  to  him  so  very  much  out  of 
the  way,  you  know.    See  here." 

And  Maud,  taking  up  a  sheet  of 
note-paper,  wrote  the  words,  "  My  dear 
Mr.  Carrol."  Mrs.  Lovell  looked  at  it 
thoughtfully  for  some  time. 

"There's  a  great  deal  in  what  you 
say,  Maudie,"  said  she.  "  I  confess 
that  you  may  really  read  those  words 
as  '  My  dear  M.  Count,'  or  even,  '  My 
dear  M.  le  Count.'  In  fact,  I  think 
you  could  even  turn  it  into  '  My  cher 
M.  le  Count ' ;  and  if  a  pressure  were 
put  on  one,  I  would  not  say  that  one 
could  not  read  it  as  '  Mon  cher  M.  le 
Count.'  In  fact,  I  dare  say  he  reads  it 
that  way  himself." 

Maud  sighed  heavily,  threw  down 
the  pen,  and  retreated  to  a  chair, 
where  she  rested  her  head  on  her 
hands,  and  sat  looking  gloomily  at  the 
floor. 

III. 

REJECTED  ADDRESSES. 

At  the  very  time  when  the  two  la- 
dies were  carrying  on  the  foregoing 
conversation,  one  of  the  subjects  of 


that  conversation  was  in  his  room 
engaged  in  the  important  task  of  pack- 
ing a  tiu  ik.  Mr.  Seth  Grimes  was  a 
very  large  man.  He  was  something 
over  six  feet  in  height ;  he  was  broad- 
shouldered,  deep -chested,  well-knit, 
muscular,  and  sinewy ;  he  had  a  large 
face,  with  small,  keen  gray  eyes,  short 
beard,  mustache,  anf^l  shingled  hair. 
About  his  face  there  was  an  expression 
of  bonhovimie  mingled  with  resolution, 
to  which  on  the  present  ocr.asion  there 
was  superadded  one  of  depression.  The 
packing  of  his  trunk,  however,  appeared 
at  the  present  time  to  engross  all  his 
thoughts,  and  at  this  he  worked  dili- 
gently, until  at  length  he  was  roused 
by  a  knock  at  the  door.  He  started  up 
to  his  feet,  and  at  his  invitation  to  come 
in  a  young  man  entered. 

"  Hallo,  Carrol !  "  said  Grimes,  •'  I  'm 
glad  to  see  you,  by  jingo  !  You  're  the 
very  fellow  I  wanted.  It's  a  thunder- 
in'  piece  of  good  luck  that  you  dropped 
in  just  now,  too.  If  you  'd  come  half 
an  hour  later  I  'd  been  off." 

Carrol  was  a  good-looking  young  fel- 
low enough,  with  a  frank,  bold  face  and 
well-knit  frame.  But  his  frank,  bold 
face  was  somewhat  pale  and  troubled, 
and  there  was  an  unsettled  look  in  his 
eyes,  and  a  cloud  over  his  brow.  He 
listened  with  a  dull  interest  to  Grimes's 
remark,  and  then  said,  "Off?  Wh  t 
do  you  mean  ? " 

"  Off  from  this  village  for  good  and 
all." 

"Off?  What,  from  Montreal ?  Why, 
where  are  you  going  ?  " 

"  Around  the  globe,"  said  Grimes, 
solemnly. 

"  I  don't  understand  you." 

"  Wal,  I  'm  packin'  up  just  now  with 
the  intention  of  startin'  from  this  vil- 
lage, crossin'  the  plains  in  a  bee-line 
for  Californy,  then  pursuin'  my  windin' 
way  per  steamer  over  the  briny  deep  to 
China,  and  thence  onward  and  ever  on- 
ward, as  long  as  life  pervades  this  mor- 
tal frame.  I  'm  off,  sir,  and  for  good. 
Farewell  forever,  friend  of  my  soul. 
Think  of  me  at  odd  times  and  drop 
a  tear  over  my  untimely  end." 

"  Hang  me  if  I  understand  a  single 


iiii 


^ 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


13 


, «'  I'm 


word  of  all  this,"  said  Carrol.  "  I  see 
you  're  packing  your  trunk,  but  I  had 
no  idea  you  were  going  off  so  sud- 
denly." 

"  VVal,  sit  down,  and  I  'II  explain  ;  sit 
down.  Fill  the  bowl.  Here  's  lots  of 
pipes,  make  yourself  comfortable,  and 
gaze  your  fill  at  the  last  of  your  depart  ■ 
'n'  friend." 

At  this  Carrol  took  a  chair,  and  sat 
looking  at  the  other  with  dull  inquiry. 

"  First  of  all,"  said  Grimes,  "  1  'm 
goin'  away." 

•'  Really  1 " 

"  Honest.  No  mistake.  Cut  stick, 
vamoose,  never  again  to  come  back, 
to  go  like  ancient  Cain  a  wanderer 
and  a  vagabond  over  the  face  of  the 
earth,  with  a  mark  on  my  forehead,  by 
jingo  ! " 

"  Look  here.  Grimes,  don't  you  think 
you  're  a  little  incoherent  to-day  ?  " 

To  this  Grimes  returned  no  imme- 
diate answer.  He  stood  for  a  few  mo- 
ments in  thought,  then  looking  round 
he  selected  a  chair,  which  he  planted  in 
front  of  Carrol,  and  then  seating  him- 
self there  he  stooped  forward,  leaning 
his  elbows  on  his  knees,  and  fixing  his 
eyes  upon  the  other's  face. 

"  See  here,  Carrol,"  said  he,  at  last. 

"  Well  ? " 

"  You  've  known  me  for  several  years, 
you  've  watched  my  downrisin's  and 
my  upsettin's,  and  ought  to  have  a 
pooty  good  insight  into  my  mental  and 
moral  build.  Now  I  'd  like  to  ask  you 
as  a  friend  one  solemn  question.  It's 
this.  Have  you  ever  detected,  or  have 
you  not,  a  certain  vein  of  sentiment  in 
my  moral  stratum  ?  " 

"  Sentiment  ?  "  said  Carrol,  in  some 
surprise  ;  "  well,  that  depends  on  what 
you  mean  by  sentiment." 

"  So  it  does,"  said  Grimes,  thought- 
fully ;  "  '  sentiment '  's  a  big  word,  em- 
bracin'  a  whole  world  of  idees  extunnel 
and  intunnel.  Wal,  what  I  meant  to 
ask  was  this,  —  have  you  ever  detected 
in  me  any  tendency  to  lay  an  undoo 
stress  upon  the  beautiful  ? " 

"  The  beautiful ;  well,  no,  I  don't 
think  I  have." 

"The  beautiful  in  —  in  woman,  for 


instance,"  said  Grimes,  in  a  low,  con- 
fidential voice. 

"Woman?  Oho,  that's  it,  is  it.' 
What,  do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  've 
got  a  shot  from  that  quarter  ?  What, 
you  !  Why  the  very  last  man  I  should 
have  suspected  would  have  been  Cali- 
fornia Grimes." 

"  Man,"  said  Grimes,  in  a  medita- 
tive way,  "  is  a  singular  compound  of 
strengt'i  and  weakness.  I  have  my 
share  of  physical,  mental,  and  I  may 
add  moral  strength,  I  suppose ;  so  I 
may  as  well  acknowledge  the  corn,  and 
confess  to  a  share  of  physical,  mental, 
and  moral  weakness.  Yes,  as  you 
delicately  intimate,  I  have  been  struck 
from  that  quarter,  and  the  sole  cause 
of  my  present  flight  is  woman.  Yes, 
sir." 

And,  saying  this.  Grimes  raised  him- 
self to  an  erect  position,  and,  rubbing 
his  short  shingled  hair  with  some  vio- 
lence, he  stared  hard  at  his  friend. 

"  A  woman  !  "  said  Carrol.  "  Queer, 
too.  You,  too,  of  all  men  !  Well,  I 
would  n't  have  believed  it  if  you  your- 
self had  not  said  so.  But  do  you  mean 
to  say  that  you  're  so  upset  that  you  're 
going  to  run  for  it  ?  Why,  man,  there 
must  have  been  some  diflicultv.  Is 
that  it  ? " 

"  Wal,  somethin'  of  that  sort  Yes, 
we  '11  call  it  a  difficulty." 

"  May  I  ask  who  the  lady  is  ?  "  asked 
Carrol,  after  a  pause. 

"Certainly.    It's  Mrs.  Lo veil." 

"  Mrs.  Lovell !  " 

«  Yes." 

"  The  Devil !  " 

"  Look  here,"  said  Grimes,  "  you 
need  n't  bring  in  that  party  in  connec- 
tion with  the  name  of  Mrs.  Lovell ; 
but  at  the  same  time  I  suppose  you 
don't  mean  any  harm." 

"  Of  course  not.  Excuse  me,  old  boy, 
but  I  was  astonished." 

"  That 's  the  lady  anyhow." 

"  Of  course,"  said  Carrol,  "  I  knew 
you  were  acquainted  with  Mrs.  Lovell, 
but  I  never  dreamed  that  you  were  at 
all  affected.  How  in-fernally  odd  !  But 
how  did  it  all  come  about  ?  " 

"  Wal,"  said   Grimes,  "  I  got   ac- 


I    il'T' 


14 


A  Comedy  of  Tenors; 


ii; 


I 

)  ! 


nlii 
lii 


!i 


quainted  with  her  in  a  very  queer  shape. 
You  sec  I  was  in  the  cars  once  goin' 
to  Buflalo  and  saw  her  aboard.  Tiiat  '.s 
the  first  si;,'lit  of  her.  I  was  on  my 
way  through  to  Frisco,  but  turned  off 
after  her  to  Niagara,  lettin'  my  baggage 
slide.  I  watched  her  tiiere  for  about 
a  week,  and  at  last  one  day  I  saw  her 
goin'  out  alone  for  a  walk.  I  followed 
her  at  a  respectful  distance.  Wal,  dis- 
tance lent  such  an  enchantment,  that  I 
ventured  nigher,  like  ;i  darned  fly  to  a 
lighted  candle.  Suddenly  a  great  gust 
of  wiiid  came  and  made  my  candle  flare 
tremendously.  By  this  I  mean  that 
the  wind  lifted  her  hat  and  fixin's  from 
her  head,  and  blew  'he  whole  caboodle 
clean  over  the  clih  In  a  moment  I 
jumped  after  it  —  " 

"What!"  interrupted  Carrol,  "not 
over  the  cliff?" 

"Yes,  over  the  cliff.  I  tell  you  it 
was  a  sight  that  might  have  sent  a 
fellow  over  a  thousand  cliffs.  There 
she  stood,  as  lovely  as  a  dream,  with 
lier  nat'ral  hair  all  swingin'  and  tossin' 
about  her  head,  like  a  nymph  and  a 
naiad  and  a  dryad  all  rolled  into  one  ; 
and  the  sight  of  her  was  like  a  shock 
from  a  full-charged,  double-barrelled 
galvanic  battery,  by  jingo  !  So  over 
the  cliff  I  went,  as  I  said,  just  stoppin' 
by  the  way  to  tell  her  I  'd  get  her  hat 
and  things.  Now  I  tell  you  what  it  is, 
if  it  had  been  the  falls  of  Niagara  I  'd 
have  gone  over  all  the  same  ;  but  as  it 
happened  it  was  only  the  cliff,  a  mile 
or  so  below,  and  for  a  man  like  me  it 
was  easy  enough  goin'  down,  —  a  man 
like  me  that 's  got  nerve  and  muscle 
and  sinoo  and  bones  and  a  cool  head  ; 
though,  mind  you,  I  don't  brag  much  on 
the  coolness  of  my  head  at  that  partic- 
ular moment.  So  over  I  went,  and 
down  I  went.  I  found  ledges  of  rocks 
and  shelves  ;  and  it  wa'  n't  hard  climb- 
in'  ;  so  I  did  the  job  easy  enough  :  and 
as  luck  would  have  it,  I  found  the  hat 
not  more  than  thirty  or  forty  feet  down, 
jammed  among  the  rocks  and  trees 
where  the  wind  had  whirled  it.  Along 
with  the  hat  I  found  the  usual  ac- 
companiments of  a  lady's  head-gear. 
I  secured  them  all  and  worked   my 


way  back,  carryin'  the  prize  in  my 
teeth. 

"Wal,  I  got  up  to  the  top  and 
looked  around.  To  my  amazement  the 
lady  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  She 
was  gone.  I  then  institooted  a  series 
of  delicate  inquiries  round  about,  and 
found  out  where  she  was  iivin',  and 
went  there  to  return  her  the  hat  and 
fi.\in's.  She  wa'  n't  able  to  see  me. 
Too  agitated,  you  know.  The  agita- 
tion had  been  too  much  for  her,  no 
doubt,  and  had  brought  on  a  fever,  ac- 
companied by  spasms  and  hysterics 
and  other  frn-.inine  pursuits.  So  I  re- 
treated, and  on  the  followin'  day  called 
again.  And  what  do  you  think  I 
learned  ?  Why  she  was  gone,  gone, 
sir,  and  for  good  ;  left,  fled,  sloped, 
vamoosed,  —  none  of  your  transitory 
flights,  but  an  eternal  farewell  to  Cali- 
fornia Grimes.  And  I  never  in  my  life 
experienced  the  sensation  of  being 
dumbfounded  until  that  moment. 

"  Wal,  I  wa'  n't  goin'  to  give  her  up. 
It  ain't  in  me  to  knock  under,  so  I  set 
myself  to  find  her.  That  job  wa' n't 
over-easy.  I  did  n't  like  to  ask  her 
friends,  of  course,  and  so  in  my  inqui- 
ries after  her  I  had  to  restrict  myself 
to  delicate  insinuations  and  glittering 
generalities.  In  this  way  I  was  able  to 
find  out  that  she  was  a  Canadian,  but 
nothing  more.  This  was  all  I  had  to  go 
upon,  but  on  this  I  began  to  institoot  a 
reg'lar,  systematic,  analytic,  synthetic, 
and  comprehensive  search.  I  visited 
all  the  cities  of  Canada  and  hunted 
through  all  the  Directories.  At  length, 
in  the  course  of  my  wanderings,  I  cams 
here,  and  here,  sure  enough,  I  found 
her ;  saw  her  name  in  the  Directory, 
made  inquiries  at  the  hotel,  and  saw 
that  I  had  spotted  her  at  last 

"  Wal,  the  moment  I  found  this  out, 
that  is,  the  day  after,  I  went  to  see 
her.  I  found  her  as  mild  as  milk,  as 
gentle  as  a  cooin'  dove,  as  pleased  as 
pie,  and  as  smilin'  as  a  basket  of  chips. 
She  did  n't  really  ask  me  in  so  many 
words  to  call  again,  but  I  saw  that  she 
expected  it ;  and  if  she  had  n't,  it  would 
have  been  all  the  same,  for  I  was  bound 
to  see  more  of  her. 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


15 


in  my 


sloped, 


"Wal,  I  ain't  goin'  to  dilate  upon 
love's  young  dream  now,  but  siinjily 
state  that  I  indulged  in  it  for  several 
months,  and  it  was  not  till  to-day  that 
I  was  waked  out  of  it.  It  was  a  very 
rude  shock,  but  it  broke  up  the  dream, 
and  1  'm  now  at  last  wide  awake  and 
myself  again." 

"]>y  this  I  suppose  I  am  to  under- 
stand  that  your  sentiments  were  not 
j  reciprocated." 

'  "  Very  much.  O  yes  ;  that 's  the 
exact  definition,"  said  Grimes,  dryly. 
"Yes —  Wal —  You  see  ic  w.a' n't 
more  than  two  hours  ago.  1  went  to 
see  her.  I  told  her  all." 
"  Well  ? " 

"  Wal,  she  listened  as  patient  as  a 
Iamb,  and  did  n't  interrupt  me  once. 
Now,  as  my  story  could  n't  have  been 
very  particularly  intercstin',  I  call  that 
very  considerate  of  her,  in  the  first 
place." 

"  Well,  and  how  did  it  end  ? " 
"  Wal,  she  did  n't  say  anythin'  in 
particular  for  some  considerable  time. 
At  last  1  stopped.  And  then  she  spoke. 
And  she  presented  me  with  a  very 
sweet,  soft,  elegant,  well-shaped,  well- 
knit,  dove-colored,  tastefully  designed, 
and  admirably  fittin'  —  mitten." 

"And  that  was  the  end,  was  it?" 
said  Carrol,  gloomily  ;  "jilted  .■•  You 
might  have  known  it.  It 's  always  the 
way." 

"  What 's  that  ? "  exclaimed  Crimes  ; 
"  always  the  way .-"  No,  it  ain't,  not 
by  a  long  chalk.  On  the  contrary,  peo- 
ple are  gettin'  married  every  day,  and 
never  see  a  mitten  at  all." 

"  O,  confound  all  women,  I  say ! " 
growled  Carrol.  "  It 's  always  the  way. 
They  're  so  full  of  whims  and  fancies 
and  nonsense,  they  don't  know  their 
own  minds.  They  've  no  sense  of 
honor.  They  lead  a  fellow  on,  and 
smile  on  him,  and  feed  their  infernal 
vanity,  and  then  if  the  whim  takes  them 
they  throw  him  off  as  coolly  as  they 
would  an  old  glove.  I  dare  say  there 's 
a  way  to  get  around  them ;  and  if  a 
fellow  chose  to  swallow  insults,  and 
put  up  with  no  end  of  whims,  he  might 
eventually  win  the  woman  he  loves, 


and  to  do  that  a  man  must  lose  his 
manhood.  For  my  p.  rt,  if  a  woman 
jilts  me,  she  may  go  to  the  Devil." 

"  It  strikes  me,"  said  Grimes,  "th.nt 
you  use  rather  strong  language  about 
the  subject." 

Carrol  laughed  bitterly. 

"  Well,  old  fellow,''  said  he,  "you  've 
been  jilted,  and  whatever  you  feel  you 
appear  to  take  it  quietly.  Now,  I  'm 
not  so  much  of  a  philosopher,  and  so  I 
take  it  out  in  a  little  swearing." 

"  You  !  "  said  Grimes,  staring  at  the 
other  in  surprise.  "What  have  you 
got  to  do  about  it  ?  " 

"  O,  nothing,  —  a  little  affair  of  my 
own.  They  say  misery  loves  company, 
and  if  so,  pcrliaps  it'll  be  a  comfort 
to  you  to  know  that  I  'm  in  the  same 
box." 

"  What's  diat?"  said  Grimes  ;  "the 
same  what,  —  did  you  say  '  box  '  ? " 

"  Yes,"  said  Carrol,  while  a  heavy 
shadow  passed  over  his  face. 

"  What !  not  jilted  ?  " 

"Yes,  jilted." 

"  Jilted  .'  Good  Lord !  Not  by  a 
woman  !  " 

"Well,  I  don't  exactly  see  how  I 
could  have  been  jilted  by  anybody 
else,"  said  Carrol,  with  a  short  laugh. 

At  this  intelligence  from  Carrol, 
Grimes  sat  for  a  few  moments  in  si- 
lence, staring  at  him  and  rubbing  his 
hand  slowly  over  his  shingled  hair. 

"  Wal,"  he  said  at  length,  "  it 
strikes  me  as  queer,  too.  For  you  see 
I  'm  kind  o'  modest  about  myself,  but 
I  'm  free  to  say  that  I  always  regarded 
you  not  merely  as  a  man,  but  also  as 
one  who  might  be  a  lady's  man.  A 
fellow  of  your  personal  appearance, 
general  build,  gift  of  gab,  and  amiable 
disposition  hain't  got  any  call,  as  far 
as  I  can  see,  to  know  anythin'  what- 
ever of  the  nature  of  a  mitten." 

"  In  spite  of  all  these  advantages," 
said  Carrol,  quietly,  "  I  've  got  my  own 
particular  mitten  in  my  own  posses- 
sion. I  've  got  it  in  the  shape  of  a 
beautiful  little  note,  written  in  the  most 
elegant  lady's  hand  imaginable." 

"  A  note  ?  What  do  you  mean  by  a 
note  ? " 


irr 


i6 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


'    .1 


■11 
.III 
'III' 
'II 
ill  I 


IMljIi 


'III 


!i 


if:!' 


'  mil 
(ill  I' 

Hilh 

nil 

!;';ll 

I 


I 


"  O,  nothing ;  my  affair,  as  it  hap- 
pened, was  done  up  in  writing." 

"  Writing  !  Do  you  mean  to  say 
that  you  wrote  a  letter  about  such  a 
nr.atter  ?  " 

"Yes,  that  was  the  way  it  was 
done." 

"  A  letter !  "  exclaimed  Grimes,  in 
strong  excitement.  "  What !  Do  you 
mean  to  say  that  you,  with  all  your  ad- 
vantages, descended  so  low  as  to  write 
a  letter  to  the  woman  you  pretended  to 
love  about  a  thing  of  such  unspeakable 
importance.  Good  Lord!  Of  all  the 
darn'dest  —  " 

And  Grimes  sank  back  in  his  chair, 
overwhelmed  by  the  idea. 

"Well,"  said  Carrol,  "I  acknowl- 
edge that  a  letter  is  a  very  inferior  sort 
of  way  of  making  a  proposal,  but  in  my 
case  there  was  no  help  for  it.  I  had 
to  do  it,  and,  as  it 's  turned  out,  it 
seems  to  me  to  be  a  confoundedly  lucky 
thing  that  it  was  so,  for  it  would  have 
been  too  infernally  mortifying  to  have 
had  her  tell  me  what  she  did  tell  me, 
face  to  face." 

"  Who  is  the  lady  ?  "  asked  Grimes, 
after  a  solemn  pause.  "  Is  it  any  se- 
cret ?  " 

"  O  no,  I  'd  just  as  soon  tell  you  as 
not.     It's  Miss  Heathcote." 

"  Miss  Heathcote  !  "  said  Grimes,  in 
surprise. 

"  Yes." 

"  What !    Mrs.  Lovell's  sister  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Good  thunder !  " 

"  It 's  deuced  odd,  too,"  said  Carrol. 
"You  and  I  seem  to  have  been  di- 
recting our  energies  toward  the  same 
quarter.  Odd,  too,  that  neither  of  us 
suspected  the  other.  Well,  for  my 
part,  my  case  was  a  hard  one.  Miss 
Heathcote  was  always  with  her  sister, 
you  know,  and  I  never  had  a  decent 
chance  of  seeing  her  alone.  I  met  her 
first  at  a  ball.  We  often  met  after 
that.  We  danced  together  very  fre- 
quently. I  saw  her  two  or  three  times 
by  herself.  I  used  to  call  there,  of 
course,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  you 
know.  Well,  at  last  I  found  myself 
pretty  far  gone,  and  tried  to  get  an  op- 


portunity of  telling  her,  you  know ;  but 
somehow  or  other,  her  sister  seemed 
to  monopolize  her  all  the  time,  and  I 
really  had  n't  a  fair  chance.  Well,  you 
know,  I  couldn't  manage  to  see  her 
alone,  and  at  last  I  couldn't  stand  it 
any  longer,  and  so  I  wrote. 

"  Now,  mind  you,  although  I  had  seen 
her  alone  only  two  or  three  times,  yet  I 
had  very  good  reasons  to  suppose  that 
she  was  very  favorable  to  me  ;  a  wo- 
man can  give  a  man  all  sorts  of  encour- 
agement, you  know,  in  a  quiet  way.  It 
seemed  to  me  that  there  was  a  sort  of 
understanding  between  us.  In  the 
expression  of  her  face,  in  the  tone 
of  her  voice,  and  in  other  things  which 
I  cannot  mention,  I  saw  enough  to 
give  me  all  the  encouragement  I 
wanted. 

"  Very  well,  I  wrote  as  I  said,  and 
I  got  an  answer.  It  was  an  answer 
that  came  like  a  stroke  of  lightning. 
Now,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  if 
a  woman  rejects  a  fellow,  there  is  no 
reason  why  she  should  not  do  it  in  a 
kind  sort  of  a  way.  Her  very  nature 
ought  to  prompt  her  to  this.  If,  how- 
ever, there  had  been  anything  like  en- 
couragement given  to  the  unfortunate 
devil  who  proposed,  it  certainly  would 
not  be  presumptuous  to  expect  some 
sort  of   explanation,  something    that 


might  soften  the  blow.    Now  in 


my 


case  the  encouragement  had  really  been 
strong.  Very  well  ;  I  wrote,  —  under 
these  circumstances,  mind  you,  —  I 
wrote,  after  I  had  been  encouraged,  — 
actually  encouraged,  mind  you,  after 
she  had  given  me  every  reason  to  hope 
for  a  favorable  answer,  —  and  what 
—  what  do  you  think  was  the  sort  of 
answer  that  I  really  did  get?  What.'F 
Why,  this ! " 

And  Carrol,  who  by  this  time  had 
worked  himself  into  a  state  of  intense 
excitement,  snatched  a  letter  from  his 
pocket  and  flung  it  toward  Grimes. 

The  act  was  so  suddenly  done  that 
Grimes  had  not  time  to  raise  his  hand 
to  catch  it.  The  letter  fell  upon  the 
floor,  and  Grimes,  stooping  down, 
raised  it  up.  He  then  read  the  ad- 
dress in  a  very  solemn  manner,  after 


.i;li 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


17 


now;  but 
:r  seemed 
me,  and  I 
Well,  you 
}  see  her 
t  stand  it 

I  had  seen 
imes,  yet  I 
ppose  that 
ne  ;  a  wo- 
of encour- 
;t  way.  It 
LS  a  sort  of 
.  In  the 
1  the  tone 
lings  which 
enough  to 
igement    I 

I  said,  and 
an  answer 
f  lightning, 
mstances,  if 
there  is  no 
t  do  it  in  a 
very  nature 
is.    If,  hew- 
ing like  en- 
unfortunate 
tainly  would 
;xpect  some 
elhing    that 
Now  in  my 
1  really  been 
)te,  —  under 
id    you,  —  I 
couraged,  — 
you,  after 
ison  to  hope 
—  and  what 
the  sort  of 
et?    What?? 

is  time  had 
te  of  intense 
ter  from  his 
Grimes, 
ly  done  that 
ise  his  hand 
ell  upon  the 
iping  down, 
ead  the  ad- 
nanner,  after 


which  he  slowly  opened  it  and  read  the 
following :  — 

"  Dkak  Sir  :  I  have  just  received 
your  letter,  and  regret  rr/j  iLv/i/y  that 
you  liiive  written  to  me  on  siic/i  a  sub- 
ji-it.  I  'ni  sure  I  am  not  aware  of 
anything  in  our  mutual  relations  that 
could  give  rise  to  a  rocjucst  of  such  a 
nature,  and  can  only  account  for  it  on 
the  ground  of  sudden  impulse,  which 
your  own  good  sense  will  hardly  be 
able  to  justify.  I  trust  that  you  will 
not  tliink  me  capable  of  giving  unne- 
cessary pain  to  any  one  ;  and  that  you 
will  believe  me  when  I  say  that  it  is 
absolutely  impossible  for  me  to  enter- 
tain your  proposal  for  one  moment. 
"  Very  truly  yours, 

"  Maud  Hkathcote." 

"  Short,  sharp,  and  decisive,"  was 
the  remark  of  Grimes,  after  he  had  read 
the  note  over  two  or  tiiree  times  ;  and 
with  these  words  he  replaced  the  pa- 
per in  the  envelope  and  returned  it  to 
Carrol. 

"  Now,  mind  you,"  said  Carrol,  "  she 
had  given  me  as  much  encouragement 
as  a  lady  would  think  proper  to  give. 
She  had  evidently  intended  to  give  me 
the  idea  that  she  was  not  indificrcnt  to 
me,  and  then  —  then  —  when  I  com- 
mitted myself  to  a  proposal,  slie  flung 
this  in  my  face.  What  do  you  think 
of  that,  for  instnnce?" 

"  It  's  a  stunner,  nnd  no  mistake," 
said  Grimes,  solemnly. 

"  Well,"  said  Carrol,  after  another 
pause,  "  I  've  found  out  all  about  it." 

"  Found  out  ?  " 

"  Yes,  her  little  game.  O,  she 's 
deep  !  You  would  scarcely  believe  that 
so  young  a  girl  had  such  infernal  craft. 
But  it's  born  in  them.  The  weaker 
animals,  you  know,  are  generally  sup- 
plied with  cunning,  so  as  to  carry  out 
the  great  struggle  for  existence.  Cun- 
ning !  Cunning  is  n't  the  word.  I 
swear,  of  all  the  infernal  schemes  that 
ever  I  heard  of,  this  one  of  Miss  Heath- 
cote's  was  the  worst.  A  dcej)  game, 
yes,  by  heaven !  And  it  was  only 
by  the  merest  chance  that  I  found  it 
out." 


Carrol  drew  a  long  breath  and  then 
went  on. 

"  You  see,  in  the  first  place,  she  's 
been  playing  a  double  game  all  tliis 
time." 

"  A  double  game  ? " 

"Yes,  two  strings  to  her  bow,  and 
all  that,  you  know." 

"  O,  another  lover  !  " 

"Yes,  that  miserable  French  v.aga- 
bond  that  calls  himself  the  Count  du 
Potiron." 

"  I'otiron  I  What  !  that  infernal 
skunk?" 

"Yes." 

"  What !  Do  you  mean  to  say  that 
Miss  Heathcote  would  condescend  to 
look  at  a  fellow  like  that  ?  I  don't  be- 
lieve it.  She  wouldn't  touch  him  with 
a  pair  of  tongs.     No,  by  thunder  !  " 

"  Well,  it 's  a  fact,  as  I  know  only 
too  well." 

"I'ooh  !  you  're  jealous  and  imagine 
this." 

"  I  don't !     I  have  proof." 

"What  proof?" 

"What  proof?  Wait  till  you  hear 
my  stoiy." 

"  P'ire  away  then." 

"Well,  this  fellow,  Du  Potiron,  has 
only  been  here  a  few  weeks,  but  has 
managed  to  get  into  society.  I  saw 
him  once  or  twice  hanging  about  Mrs. 
Lovell's,  but,  'pon  my  soul,  I  had  such 
a  contempt  for  the  poor  devil  that  I 
never  gave  him  a  thought  beyond  won- 
dering in  a  vague  kind  of  way  how  the 
Devil  he  got  there.  But,  mind  you, 
a  woman  is  a  queer  creature.  Miss 
Heathcote  is  aristocratic  in  her  tastes, 
or,  rather,  snobbish,  and  anything  like 
a  title  drives  her  wild.  The  moment 
she  s.aw  this  fellow  she  began  to  wor- 
ship him,  on  account  of  his  infernal 
sham  nobility.  The  fellow  's  no  more 
a  count  than  I  am,  I  really  believe  ; 
but  the  name  of  the  thing  is  enough, 
and  to  live  and  move  and  have  her 
being  in  the  presence  of  a  real  live 
count  was  too  much  for  her.  At  once 
the  great  aim  of  her  life  was  to  become 
a  countess." 

"  Wal,"  said  Grimes,  as  Carrol  paused, 
"you  seem  somehow  or  other  to  have 


jiciTr" 


i8 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors, 


Hill' 


^1' 
Ml  I 


iKiili 
ijllli  II 

i-'ir 


llIlK 


''■\     I 


W'W 


111,  1 

;;:u!i 

got  a  deep  insight  into  the  inner  work- 
in's  of  Miss  Hcathcole's  mind." 

•'  I  tell  you  I  i<now  it  all,"  said  Car- 
rol, savagely.  "  Wait  till  you  hear  all. 
Mind  you,  I  don't  believe  that  she  was 
altogether  indifferent  to  me.  I  think, 
in  fact,  she  rather  lik'^d  me  ;  and  if  I  'd 
been  a  count,  1  don't  know  that  she 
would  have  turned  me  off,  unless  she  'd 
met  with  some  member  of  a  higher  order 
of  nobility,  besides,  she  did  n't  feel  al- 
together sure  of  her  Count,  you  know, 
and  did  n't  want  to  lose  me,  so  she 
played  fast  and  loose  with  me  ;  and 
the  way  she  humbugged  me  makes  my 
blood  boil  now  as  I  think  of  it.  There 
was  I,  infatuated  about  her  ;  she,  on 
her  part,  was  cool  and  calculating  all 
the  time.  Even  in  those  moods  in 
which  she  pretended  to  be  soft  and 
complaisant,  it  was  only  a  miserable 
trick.  She  always  managed  to  have 
her  sister  around,  but  once  or  twice 
contrived  to  let  me  be  alone  with 
her,  just  in  order  to  give  me  sufficient 
encouragement  to  keep  me  on.  IJut 
with  the  Frenchman  it  was  different. 
He  had  no  end  of  privileges.  By 
heaven,  I  believe  she  must  herself  have 
taken  the  initiative  in  that  quarter,  or 
else  he  would  never  have  dared  to  think 
of  her.  In  this  way,  you  see,  she  man- 
aged to  fight  off  any  declaration  on  my 
part,  until  she  had  hooked  her  Count. 
O,  it  was  a  deep  game,  and  many  things 
are  clear  to  me  now  that  used  to  be  a 
puzzle  ! 

"  Well,  you  know,  so  the  game  went 
on,  she  trying  to  bag  her  Count,  and 
at  the  same  time  keeping  a  firm  hold 
of  me,  yet  managing  me  so  as  to  keep 
me  at  a  distance,  to  be  used  only  as  a 
dernier  ressort.  Well,  I  chafed  at  all 
this,  and  thought  it  hard  ;  but,  after 
all,  I  was  so  infatuated  with  her  that  I 
concluded  it  was  all  right ;  and  so  it 
was  that  no  idea  of  the  actual  fact  ever 
dawned  upon  my  poor  dazed  brains. 
But  at  last  even  my  patience  was  ex- 
hausted, and  so  I  wrote  that  letter. 
And  now  mark  this.  She  had  managed 
the  whole  affair  so  neatly  that  my  letter 
came  to  her  just  after  she  had  succeed- 
ed in  her  little  game,  won  her  Count, 


and  was  already  meditating  upon  her 
approaching  dignity.  What  a  pretty 
smile  of  scornful  pity  must  have  come 
over  her  face  as  she  read  my  letter  ! 
You  can  see  by  her  reply  what  slic  felt. 
The  prospect  of  becoming  a  countess 
at  once  elevated  her  into  a  serene  frame 
of  mind,  in  which  she  is  scarcely  con- 
scious of  one  like  me  ;  and  she  '  really 
does  n't  know  of  anything  in  our  mu- 
tual relations  which  could  give  rise  to 
such  a  request  as  mine.'  Is  n't  that 
exquisite  ?  By  heavens !  I  wonder 
what  she  would  have  said  if  I  had  hap- 
pened to  write  my  letter  a  fortnight 
ago.  I  wonder  how  she  would  have 
wriggled  out  of  it.  She  'd  have  done 
it,  of  course  ;  but  I  confess  I  don't  ex- 
actly see  how  she  could  have  contrived 
it  without  losing  me  altogether.  And 
just  then  she  would  n't  have  lost  me 
for  the  world.  I  was  essential  to  her. 
She  wanted  me  to  play  off  against  the 
Frenchman.  I  was  required  as  a  de- 
coy-duck —  " 

"  Sec  here,  my  son,"  interrupted 
Grimes,  "these  are  terrible  accusations 
to  bring  against  a  woman  that  you  'd 
have  laid  down  your  life  for  only  a 
week  ago.  It 's  all  very  well  for  you 
to  talk,  but  how  do  I  know  that  this 
ain't  all  your  infernal  jealousy  ?  How 
am  I  to  know  that  these  are  all  facts?" 

"In  the  simplest  way  in  the  world; 
by  hearing  me  out.  I  have  n't  come 
yet  to  the  point  of  my  story.  It  was 
only  last  evening  that  I  found  this  out. 
And  this  is  what  I  'm  now  coming  to. 
You  see,  after  I  got  her  letter  I  was  so 
confounded  that  I  really  did  not  know 
what  to  think  or  say.  I  had  a  vague 
idea  of  going  to  see  her  and  have  a 
personal  explanation." 

"  That  would  have  been  sensible  and 
manly,"  said  Grimes. 

"  No,  it  would  n't,"  said  Carrol,  sharp- 
ly ;  "  and  as  things  are,  it 's  well  I  did 
n't.  Besides,  I  could  n't.  I  felt  too 
much  cut  up.  I  was  stung  to  the  soul, 
and  it  seemed  as  if  all  the  light  of  my 
life  had  suddenly  gone  out.  No ;  for- 
tunately my  pride  sustained  me,  and  I 
was  saved  from  making  an  infernal  ass 
of  myself  by  exhibiting  my  weakness 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


19 


for  licr  to  laugh  at.  Well,  I  won't 
dwell  upon  this.  I  'II  only  s.ny  that  I 
did  n't  feel  equal  to  anything  for  a 
couple  of  days,  and  then  I  sent  her  a 
few  words  of  farewell. 

"  \'cry  well.  Last  evening  I  sent 
this  letter  of  farewell,  and  then  went 
olT  to  the  Magog  House,  in  order  to 
make  some  arrangements  for  quitting 
town  this  morning.  I  had  made  up 
my  mind  to  leave  at  once  and  forever. 
I  was  going  off  for  good.  I  did  n't 
know  where,  and  did  n't  care,  so  long 
as  I  had  this  place  behind  mc.  So  I 
went  to  the  Magog  House.  After  at- 
tending to  the  business  for  which  I  had 
come,  I  went  to  the  bar,  and  sat  down 
with  a  cigar,  thinking  over  my  situation. 
Well,  I  had  n't  buen  sitting  there  long, 
before  a  couple  of  fellows  came  in  and 
went  up  to  the  bar.  One  was  Uu  Po- 
tiron.  He  was  talking  very  volubly, 
and  was  evidently  in  a  great  state  of 
excitement." 

"  Was  he  drunk  ?  "  asked  Grimes. 

"  No,  quite  as  usual ;  only  excited, 
you  know." 

"  All,  well,  it 's  all  the  same.  French- 
men never  get  drunk,  because  they  are 
naturally  intoxicated.  A  sober  French- 
man is  a  good  deal  like  a  drunken 
Yank," 

"  I  didn't  pay  any  attention  to  what 
he  was  saying,"  resumed  Carrol.  "  My 
back  was  turned  to  the  bar,  and  I 
was  taken  up  altogether  with  my  own 
thouglits,  when  suddenly  I  heard  Du 
Potiron  mention  the  name  of  Miss 
Heathcote.  Now,  you  know,  all  his 
excitement  had  been  about  some  won- 
derful good  fortune  of  his,  for  which 
he  was  receiving  his  friend's  congrat- 
ulations, and  in  honor  of  which  he  had 
invited  him  to  take  a  drink.  It  is  n't  a 
French  custom,  but  Du  Potiron  has 
evidently  been  long  enough  in  Amer- 
ica to  know  American  ways.  So  Du 
Potiron  had  come  in  to  treat  his  friend. 
Now  I  heard  all  this  congratulation 
in  a  vague  way,  and  understood  that 
it  had  something  to  do  with  a  lady ; 
but  when  Miss  Heathcote's  name  was 
mentioned,  the  whole  diabolical  truth 
flashed   upon   me.      I    was    perfectly 


stupefied,  and  sat  for  some  minutes 
not  able  to  move,  and  .scarce  able  to 
breathe,  listening  to  the  fellow's  tri- 
umphant boasts.  He  boasted  of  his 
good  fortune,  —  how  she  had  favored 
him,  how  his  whole  acquaintance  with 
her  had  been  one  long  triumph,  and 
how  she  had  fallen  at  last  like  ripe 
fruit  into  his  hands.  And  this  rat  I 
had  to  listen  to  ;  for  I  tell  you  1  could 
n't  move  and  could  .sc...ccly  breathe. 
I  was  suffocating  with  fury. 

"  At  last  I  got  up  and  went  over  to 
him. 

"'  Look  here,'  said  I,  'you  're  talking 
about  a  lady  who  is  a  friend  of  mine, 
in  a  public  bar-room,  and  it  s-^ems  to 
me  that  it  is  time  to  call  >"u  to  ac- 
count.' I  said  this  very  ijoolly  and 
quietly,  for  I  did  n't  want  the  French- 
man to  see  how  excited  I  was. 

"  He  looked  at  me  in  great  surprise, 
and  then  said,  '  Excuse  me,  sare,  de 
lady  that  I  haf  spik  of  haf  commit  her 
name  an'  her  honneur  to  me,  an'  no 
pcrsonne  haf  any  claim  to  champion 
her  but  only  me.' 

"  'Pooh,'  said  I,  '  I  don't  believe  you 
have  any  claim  of  the  sort.  When  I 
saw  her  Last,  she  had  n't  the  remotest 
intention  of  anything  of  the  kind.' 

"  I  dare  say  my  tone  was  very  ofTen- 
sive,  for  the  Frenchman  turned  very 
pale,  and  his  eyes  blazed  with  fury. 

" '  You  don't  belief,'  said  he.  '  Aha  ! 
You  insulta  me.  Ver'  well.  I  sail  haf 
satisfaction  for  de  insult.  An'  so  you 
don't  belief.  Ver'  well.  You  sail  be- 
lief dis.  Ha !  Ef  you  are  so  grand 
friend  an'  champion,  you  sail  tell  me 
wat  you  tink  of  dees  ! ' 

"  And  with  these  words  he  tore  a 
letter  from  his  pocket,  and  flourished 
it  before  my  face.  I  saw  the  hand- 
writing. It  was  hers.  The  letter  was 
addressed  to  him.  And  in  that  one  in- 
stant every  boast  of  his  was  confirmed 
by  her  own  signature,  and  I  saw  at 
once  the  infernal  depth  of  her  crafty, 
scheming  nature.  And,  by  heaven  ! 
she  '11  find  that  she  's  got  things  before 
her  that  will  interfere  a  little  with  her 
brilliant  prospects." 

Carrol  paused.    His  face  grew  dark, 


I  (ijfr^ 


30 


A  Coiiit'ify  of  Ttrivrs. 


ilr 


:liri 

< III  ' 

II  h  I 
Mil' 

ii.iir  i 


iliii' 

IMlll 

ilii 


■M 
I  , 

Vi 
n 
II 


t  I 
I'll,  I 


m 


I'i'iii' 


and  tlino  was  tlinl  in  liis  eyes  wliii  li 
sIiowimI  tliat  his  words  contaiiicd  sonic- 
tliiiij;  iiiDic  llian  i-mply  menace. 

"  Well  ?"  aski'd  (irinu-s,  ansionsly. 

"Well,"  said  Caiiol,  "at  llial  I  lost 
all  control  over  myself,  and  i  Kihk  Kcd 
liim  down.  He  jumped  iij),  and  turned 
upon  me  in  a  liiry. 

"  '  Yon  sail  ;;il"  nic  satccsf.iclion  for 
dis  ! '  In;  screamed. 

"  'Certainly,'  said  I. 

•' '  \'ou  sail  hear  from  me,  saro.' 

"  '  \'ery  well,'  said  I  ;  and  then,  as  I 
did  n't  see  .any  use  in  stayin,n  then; 
lon.iicr,  I  went  olf.  Well,  this  mornini; 
I  <',ot  a  challenu;e  from  him,  and  this  is 
the  tiiim;  that  has  prevented  my  de- 
parture, and  has  l)ron);ht  mc  to  you. 
Otherwise,  it  is  n't  likely  that  we  should 
have  met  aj;ain,  mdess,  indeed,  we  h.id 
h.tppeuiil  to  turn  up  toj^clJur  at  llie 
same  place  in  the  middle  of  C'liin  'I'.n- 
tary.  ^'on  sec,  I  want  you  to  he  my 
second." 

"  N'our  sec(uid  ? "  s.aid  (irimes,  ami 
fell  into  a  deep  (il  of  musiuLj. 


IV. 

Df.AMNCS  Willi   "Moo.soo." 

(lunns  sal  for  .some  time  in  pro- 
foimd  silence. 

"  Of  cmnse,  yon '11  ()lili;;c  me,"  said 
Canol,  al  Icnglli,  somewhat  intp.atienl- 

')'■ 

"  l\le  ?     O,  you  may  rely  u]ion  me; 

Init,  at  the  same  time,  I  want  you  to 
iMiderstand  that  there  's  (  ilTu  tillies  in 
the  way.  I'.esides,  I  don'i  appiove  of 
this." 

"  Oiiriculties  ?  Ofcourse.  Pinds  ate 
again,'!  the  l,iw,  and  all  ih.il.  No  one 
)ij;hts  (!ucl,',  !v  :;•  ;  hut  sometimes  nolh- 
inji  else  will  do." 

"  .So  yon  want  to  fij;ht  ?  "  asked 
(Irimes. 

"  Yes,"  said  C.irrol,  fiercely.  "  I.iw 
or  no  l.iw,  I  w.ml  to  (i;;ht — to  the 
death.  This  is  now  tin;  only  tiling; 
thai  I  care  for.  I  want  to  l<t  /irr  sec 
Ihal  she  Vas  n't  liccn  fjuilc  so  success- 
ful as  slu;  imagines,  and  to  put  some 
obslade  in  the  w.iy  of  llial  serene  and 


pi. 11  id  jov  which  slie  anticipates.  She 
sh.dl  liMrn,  if  I  can  ti'a(  h  her,  the  old, 
old  lesson,  111  it  the  way  of  the  tr.ins- 
};ressor  is  hard." 

"  Are  yon  a  );()od  shot  ?  "  asked 
(liimes,  in  a  mild    voice. 

"  N'o." 

"  Then  how  do  yon  propose  to  pop 
jMoosoo  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  'II  h.ivc  a  shot  al  him." 

"Arc  you  aware  that  while  you  aic 
firin'  he  "11  lie  firin'  too?" 

"  Well  1  " 

'•  /\re  )()n  aware  tli.at  Moosoo  is  a 
fnst-r.ilc  shot  ?" 

"  I  did  n't  know  it." 

"  Well,  I  do  know  it,  for  I  haiijien  to 
have  seen  somelhin'  of  il  !  " 

"  O,  I  don't  cue  a  (iirsc  whellier 
he  's  a  j'ood  shot  or  not." 

"  W.d,  it  makes  a  i^ood  {\v,\\  of  dif- 
feicnce,  as  a  /;ener.d  thiii)^.  \\n\ 
don't  know  aiiylhin'  ahout  feiuin',  I 
s'jiose  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  \Val,  you've  got  to  he  jiicc  ious 
careful  how  yon  enter  on  this  dool," 

"  I  tell  yon,"  cried  Caridl,  imp.ilicnl- 
ly,  "  that  I  don't  care  a  curse  whether 
I  'm  shot  or  not." 

"And  I  tell  you,  yon  do  c.ire.  If 
INIoosoi)  hiis  you,  it  's  another  lealher 
in  his  c.ip.  He'll  return  to  the  l.idy 
covered  with  laurels.  '  .See,  the  ( im- 
(|uciin'  hero  comes.'  She  'II  ifd'ive 
her  w.irrior  home  from  the  w.iis. 
'  ( ;.i)ly  the  Trouli.idoiir  touched  lii.s 
guitar.'  He'll  lie  '  ( iayly  the  Trouba- 
dour,' and  yon  'II  lie  simply  rontempli- 
Me.  What  '11  become  of  .all  your  line 
|il,ins  of  retail, ilini,  if  yon  have  to 
hoblile  .limtil  for  thirteen  months  on  i! 
broken  leg.  or  m",e  in  ,Miiiely  willi 
your  arm  in  a  slini; .-'  Wli.it  11  Ikcomu; 
of  yon,  if  you  're  suddi-nly  called  iipcrii 
to  exchange  worlds,  and  pass  from  this 
festive  scene  to  become  a  deni/en  of 
the  silent  .seindchre  ?  Answer  me 
th.at." 

I'arrol  s.iid  nothing.  Hut  his  f.icc 
(lushe<l,  and  it  was  evident  that  these 
suggestions  were  not  wilhoul  ellect. 

".Secondly,  my  brethren,"  coiilinued 
('•rimes,  "  I  desire  to  call  your  .ittention 


A  CoiiiiJf  of  Ti-nvrs. 


31 


vilrs.     ^'•lu• 

UT,   llu"   lild, 
r    llic    ll.lUS- 

?  "     askr.l 


pose  111  i">i> 

it  liim." 
lik'  j<iu  iirc 


^loosoo  is  .1 

I    IliippCll   Id 

;rsc  wlu'tiuT 

(leal  of  ilif- 
lliiiij;.  Voii 
111   kticin',  I 


lie    pfciious 

tliis  dddl." 

1)1,  imii.iliint- 

ursc  wlnilicr 

do   CMC.       If 

OtluT  liMllicr 
1  to  till-  l.uly 
"ice,  till'  (1111- 
.lu;  Ml  li'iH'ivc 
1  tlic  w.ns. 
loin  lll'll    hi.H 

'  llio  'rroulKi- 
)ly  coiilfinpli- 
■  all  your  line 
you  liavc  to 
1  iiionlhs  on  :! 

soi'aty   wi'.li 

liat  11  l)ct  lime 

ly  calli'il  ni'nn 

pass  rrom  this 

a  iK'ni/i'ii  of 

Answer    nic 

lUit   Ills  f.iro 
('111   dial  llii'sc 
ilhoiil  clVcct. 
en,"  conliniiod 

your  attention 


to  (Ills  Important  ii-^inl.  ll  's  iinCiir. 
You,  who  i.in'l  sliooi,  j;o  lo  iiu'cl  a 
man  who  ran.  Wii.u  do  \oii  i  .dl  that  ? 
I  <all  it  siniplf  suit  idc.  lias  Moosoo 
siK  h  ( laiiiis  on  )oii  .hat  you  an-  ready 
to  oiler  up  your  life  to  him?  N'oil  Ml 
(ail.  lie  11  My.  MMie  l.uly  Ml  join  him 
ill  New  York,  an'  he  Ml  convey  her  lo 
his  home  in  I'.uis.  I'nr.iir:'  WMiy, 
it  "s   111. Illness  lo   think   ol   il  .■'  " 

"  ll  's  deueeil  odd  if  I  c.m't  hit  a 
man  at  such  a  short  dist.inee." 

"'M' ain't  so  easy,  ll.ive  yo'  'jvcr 
tried  ? " 

"  No." 

"  W.il,  I  have,  and  I  know  what 
1  'm  t.ilkiii'  alioiit.  I  tell  you,  you 
Won't  hit  him  ;  and  that  's  why  I  h.ive 
my  prejudices  against  the  orlhoilo.'c 
dool." 

"  WMi.il  do  you  mean  hy  the  ortho- 
dox duel  ?     MMiere  's  only  one  kind." 

"  I'.xciise  ///(',"  said  ('iiinies.  "MMierc 
are  other  ways,  —  dools  with  knives, 
(lools  with  rilles,  dools  with  axes,  and 
so  forth.  r>y  the  orthodox  dool  I  mean 
the  f.ishion.ihlo  sort,  that  they  orij;i- 
ii.ited  in  I'airopc.  Now  I  want  you  to 
understand,  in  the  first  pl.iee,  that  the 
orthodox  dool  is  iinf.iir,  unjusl,  ,an<I  un- 
wise. Seeondly,  I  want  you  to  know 
that  the  dool  is  not  restricted  lo  any 
one  mode,  hut  that  it  has  m.uiy  forms 
l'!iroiiL;hout  this  f^reen  earth.  Ami 
thirdly,  I  want  you  to  see  that  in  this 
l);irtieiilar  case  we  must  nri;.;inalo  a 
dool  which  shall  he  adapted  to  said 
case  in  all  its  hearin's." 

"  ()ri;;iiiate  a  duel?  What  do  you 
mean  ? " 

"  Wal,  I  mcaii  tlii.s  ;  you  're  the 
challen;;ed  p.irty." 

"  Yes." 

"  Wal,  the  challeii};cd  party  has  the 
ehoiee  of  wcepiiis." 

'■  N'es." 

"And  that  means,  furthermore,  that 
Ihe  I  halleiiycd  parly  has  ihe  choice  of 
modes.'' 

"INIodes?"  ' 

"  Yes,  —  the  when,  the  wher?,  and 
the  how  ;  ami  the  what,  anil  the  which, 
and  the  whuiVore  ;  so  you  hcc  it  be- 
comes your  proud  privilege  to  .select 


for  yourself  the  mode  that  shall  he 
most  in  .1(1  ord.ince  with  your  own  pe- 
culi.ir  situation." 

"  Well,"  s.iid  C.irrol,  "  I  certainly 
don't  w.int  him  to  li.ive  iil/  the  adv.in- 
t.iges." 

"Just  so.  and  so  it  rem.iins  for  us  to 
consider  the  v.irioiis  kinds  of  dool,  .and 
to  (le(  ide  uiioii  that  mode  which  sli.ill 
hesi  secure  a  iierl'ecl  ei|u.ililv  liiiweeii 
you  two  comhat.mls.  Now  I  happen 
at  this  moment  to  think  of  a  plan  hy 
which  liolh  p.iities  are  on  terms  that 
are  as  iii;;li  to  eipi.dity  as  is  ever  per- 
mitted ill  this  vale  of  tears.  It  is  this. 
'IMie  two  iloolists  either  sit  or  .stand 
close  heside  one  .iiiolher,  .and  each  one 
holds  the  mu/.'le  of  his  pistol  i  losi;  to 
the  forehe.ul  of  the  other.  M  he  word 
is  called, 'One!  two!  three!'  and  at 
the  word  '  three  '  holh  lire.  'IMur  re- 
sult, as  a  •;ener.d  thin;;,  is  that  neither 
one  has  ,iny  decision  to  compl.iiii  that 
the  other  h.ul  any  imdoo  adv.intaj;o 
over  him.  Now  how  does  that  strike 
you  ? '' 

('■rimes  asked  this  question  with  an 
air  of  paternal  interest  ;  with  the  man- 
ner, in  f.ict,  which  a  fond  lather  mii;hl 
assume  in  askiii;;  his  son's  o|)inion 
about  some  parlicul.irly  pleasant  mode 
of  going  lo  Kurojic  for  a  year's  ram- 
ble. 

Carrol's  binw  lowered  d.iikly,  and  an 
air  of  steady  and  stern  resolve  came 
over  his  face. 

"  I  '11  do  it,"  said  he  ;  "  I  will,  by 
heaven.  M'lial  is  the  mode  I  '11  choose. 
He  shall  not  Like  refiigi!  in  his  skill, 
and  I  will  not  give  him  the  chance  of 
siirviviii!;  me.  Il  shall  be  a  life-and- 
de.illi  allair.  If  I  I'ie  he  sh.ill  die  also. 
Then  my  lady  will  learn  tli.it  I  .im  a, 
snbiect  for  .something  else  than  jeer.s 
and  laughter,  !'.y  heaven  1 "  he  con- 
tinueil,  sl.uliiig  to  his  feet.  "  that  shall 
be  my  choice,  .md  1  '11  have  it  sellleil 
at  once." 

"  (),  come  now,"  said  Cirimes,  "  not; 
so  fast  !  We  iii'isi  n'l  snatch  at  the 
fust  suggestion.  Let  's  talk  the  matter 
over  further.  Come,  sit  down  again, 
and  let's  talk  it  over  like  Christian 
men.     For  my  part,  I  'm  not  altogether 


^i^iit^ 


'ifffir^ 


22 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


H  tl  III 

I"lt!;l 
I'  II  I'l 


|rli 
III'! 

''"'il 


'.'li. 

i:i||l 

i:  :ii 


iiiiil 


lllllMll 


in  favor  of  lliis  plan.  There 's  too 
mucli  downriglit  butchery  in  it ;  and 
it  don't  aiToid  a  ghost  of  a  chance  for 
the  display  of  the  finer  feelings  and  in- 
stincts of  humanity.  Sit  down  again, 
my  son.  Don't  be  in  a  liurry.  It 's  an 
important  matter,  and  our  deliberations 
should  be  grave  and  solemn." 

At  this  appeal  Carrol  resumed  his 
seat,  and  waited  somewhat  impatiently 
for  further  suggestions. 

"  The  orthodox  dool,"  said  Grimes, 
"  gives  you  no  chance  ;  the  one  just 
mentioned  is  downright  butcliery,  and 
may  be  called  the  slaughter  dool. 
These  are  both  at  the  ojiposite  ex- 
tremes. Now  we  want  to  hit  upon  the 
golden  mean  ;  something  that  may 
combine  the  perfect  fairness  of  the 
slaughter  dool  with  the  style,  grace, 
sprightliness,  and  picturesque  force  of 
the  orthodox  dool. 

"  Now  how  can  the  problem  be 
solved  ? "  continued  Grimes,  after  long 
and  patient  thought,  the  effects  of 
which  were  visible  in  the  numerous 
wrinkles  of  his  corrugated  brow.  "  How 
can  we  get  the  golden  mean  ?  Methinks 
I  see  it,  —  O,  don't  be  impatient !  Me- 
thinks I  have  it,  and  I  '11  give  you  the 
idee. 

"You  see,  it's  this,  my  son.  If  a 
good  shot  meets  a  bad  shot,  the  fight 
is  unfair;  but  there  are  circumstances 
under  which  this  inequality  can  be  re- 
moved. If  they  fight  in  the  dark,  for 
instance,  what  advantage  has  one  over 
the  other?  None  whatever.  Now  I 
contend  that  darkness  is  every  way 
suited  to  a  dool.  In  the  first  place,  a 
dool  is  a  deed  of  darkness.  In  the 
second  place,  the  combatants  are  on 
an  equal  footing.  In  the  third  place, 
it  is  secure  from  interruption.  In  the 
fourtli  place,  it  prevents  any  identifica- 
tion of  the  survivor  in  a  court  of  law  in 
case  of  his  arrest.  Seventeen  other 
reasons  equally  good  are  in  my  mind 
now,  but  I  forbear  to  enumerate  them. 
But  you  yourself  must  see  the  immense 
superiority  of  a  dool  of  this  kind  over 
any  otlier.  You  must  see  how  it  an- 
swers the  demands  of  the  present  occa- 
sion.   Take  your  enemy  into  the  dark. 


Deprive  him  of  the  advantages  which 
accident  gives  him.  Put  yourself  and 
him  on  an  equal  footing.  Stand  there, 
face  to  face  and  front  to  front,  in  the 
dark,  and  then  blaze  away.  Them  's 
my  sentiments." 

Grimes  stopped,  and  watched  Carrol 
in  silence  to  sec  the  effect  of  his  sug- 
gestion. Not  a  word  was  spoken  by 
either  for  a  long  time. 

"A  duel  in  the  dark !  "  said  Carrol,  ' 
at  length.  "  It 's  a  new  idea  to  me,  but 
'pon  my  soul,  my  dear  fellow,  I  must  ' 
say  it  strikes  me  rather  favorably  just 
now.  I  don't  relish  the  idea  of  being 
nothing  more  than  a  mere  target,  and 
of  letting  /ler  have  it  all  her  own  way  ; 
and  then  again,  though  I  'm  willing  to 
accept  what  you  call  the  slaughter  dool, 
yet  I  confess  I  should  prefer  a  mode 
of  fighting  in  which  death  is  not  an  ab- 
solutely inevitable  thing;  and  so,  on 
the  wliole,  it  really  seems  to  mc  as  if 
th';  plan  might  not  be  a  bad  one  ;  and 
I  tliink  we  had  better  decide  upon  it. 
But  where  could  it  come  off?  Are  the 
nights  dark  enough  ?  " 

"  O  yes,  there  's  no  moon  now." 

"  The  best  place  would  be  under 
the  shadow  of  some  woods,  I  sup- 
pose." 

"  O  no,  the  room  of  some  house 
would  be  the  best  place." 

"  What !  a  house  ?  inside  a  house  ?" 

"  Yes," 

"  Why,  where  could  we  find  one  that 
would  be  suitable  ?  " 

"  Wal,  that  is  a  matter  which  we 
must  see  about.  I  can  undertake 
that  job,  and  I  '11  go  about  it  at  once. 
I  've  got  a  place  in-  my  mind  now. 
Would  you  care  about  takin'  a  walk 
and  seein'  it  ?  " 

Carrol  made  no  reply,  but  rose  from 
his  seat  and  prepared  to  accompany 
his  friend. 

Quitting  the  house,  the  two  friends 
walked  down  the  street,  and  took  a  di- 
rection which  led  out  of  town.  They 
had  not  gone  far  before  they  saw  a 
carriage  approach,  and  both  of  them 
at  once  recognized  the  elegant  barouche 
and  spirited  bays  of  Mrs.  Lovell.  Two 
ladies  were  in  the  carriage,  and  they 


III' 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


23 


ges  which 
urself  and 
ind  there, 
)nt,  in  the 
Them  's 

cd  Carrol 
f  his  sug- 
spokcn  by 

aid  Carrol, 

to  me,  but 

\v,  I   must 

orably  just 

a  of  being 

target,  and 

own  way ; 

1  willing  to 

jghter  dool, 

fcr  a  mode 

1  not  an  ab- 

and  so,  on 

0  me  as  if 
d  one  ;  and 
de  upon  it. 
F?    Are  the 

1  now." 

\  be  under 
ods,  I  sup- 
some  house 
[e  a  house .'' " 
find  one  that 

;r  which  we 
n  undertake 
ut  it  at  once. 
'  mind  now. 
ikin'   a   walk 

3ut  rose  from 
)  accompany 

3  two  friends 
md  took  a  di- 
town.     They 

2  they  saw  a 
joth  of  them 
■;ant  barouche 
Lovcll.  Two 
ige,  and  they 


I 
■'I 


■I 


knew  them  to  be  the  very  ones  whom 
they  did  not  care  to  meet  at  this  par- 
ticular moment.  But  retreat  or  even 
evasion  was  quite  out  of  the  question. 
The  carriage  was  coming  toward  them 
at  a  rapid  pace,  and  tiie  next  corner 
was  too  far  away  to  afford  a  way  of  es- 
cape. Of  course  they  could  not  think 
of  turning  round  and  walking  back,  so 
they  kept  on  in  the  direction  in  which 
they  were  going. 

The  ladies  saw  them  at  once  and 
looked  fixedly  at  them.  Mrs.  Lo\  ell's 
face  was  sliglitly  flushed,  and  there  was 
on  it  an  air  of  embarrassment ;  but  in 
spite  of  this  there  was  a  pretty  smile 
which  curved  her  rosy  lips  and  dimpled 
her  rounded  cheeks  in  a  highly  fasci- 
nating way.  But  Maud  was  very  differ- 
ent. Her  face  was  pale,  and  her  sad 
e}es  fixed  themselves  v/ith  mournful 
earnestness  on  Carrol,  throwing  at  him 
a  glance  of  eager,  wistful  entreaty. 

As  the  carriage  came  up.  Grimes 
looked  toward  it,  and  caught  Mrs. 
Lovell's  glance,  and  saw  her  smile. 
She  bowed  in  the  most  marked  manner 
possible  ;  and  Grimes  removed  his  hat 
and  made  a  very  low  bow  in  return. 
While  doing  this  he  stood  still,  and 
after  he  had  performed  this  ceremony 
he  turned  and  stared  after  the  carriage 
with  a  flushed  face  for  more  than  a 
minute.  Then  with  a  sigh  he  resumed 
his  walk,  but  found  to  his  surprise  that 
Carrol  had  walked  ahead  for  some  con- 
siderable distance. 

If  there  had  been  a  difference  be- 
tween the  expressions  of  Mrs.  Lovell 
and  Maud,  there  had  certainly  been  a 
corresponding  difference  between  the 
demeanor  of  Carrol  and  that  of  Grimes 
on  this  momentous  occasion.  Each 
had  been  equally  agitated  at  this  unex- 
pected meeting,  but  each  had  shown 
his  emotion  in  a  different  way.  The 
way  of  Grimes  has  already  been  de- 
scribed. But  while  Grimes  allowed  liis 
eyes  to  be  drawn  to  the  spot  where  his 
idol  sat  enthroned  in  her  cliariot,  Carrol 
refused  to  let  his  eyes  wander  at  all. 
At  that  moment  he  was  like  the  gladia- 
tor on  his  way  to  the  arena  passing  be- 
fore the  throne  of  Casar.    Aloriturus 


te  salutat  was  the  thought  of  his  de- 
spairing and  imbittered  soul ;  and  deep 
within  his  heart  was  a  conviction  of  the 
utter  baseness  of  that  beautiful  girl  who 
had  betrayed  him.  Had  she  not  en- 
couraged him  with  false  hopes  ?  Had 
she  not  led  him  on  ?  Had  she  not 
made  him  her  tool,  her  decoy-duck, 
tlirough  whom  slie  miglit  gain  the  ob- 
ject of  a  vulgar  and  contemptible  am- 
bition ?  Was  not  all  his  life  ruined 
through  her .''  Was  he  not  going  even 
now  to  his  death,  —  he,  the  doomed ' 
gladiator  ?    Moriturns  te  saliiiat  ? 

He  looked  straight  ahead,  not  allow- 
ing his  eyes  to  rest  on  her,  — his  pale 
features  set  in  an  expression  of  icy 
calm,  an  expression  very  different  from 
the  frank  joyousness  which  Maud  so 
well  remembered.  Yet  he  did  not  for- 
get the  salutation,  —  even  though  he 
was  going  to  die, — but  as  the  carriage 
rolled  by  he  raised  his  hat  and  so 
walked  on. 

After  a  time  Grimes  caught  up  to 
him,  and  the  two  walked  on  together. 
Neither  one  said  a  word,  for  each  one 
had  thoughts  which  he  did  not  feel  in- 
clined to  express  in  words.  At  length, 
after  about  an  hour's  walk,  in  which 
they  had  gone  about  two  miles  out  of 
the  town,  they  came  within  sight  of  an 
old  house. 

"Thar,"  said  Grimes,  "that's  the 
place  ;  what  do  you  think  of  it  ?  " 

"  O,  I  dare  say  it  '11  do  well  enough," 
said  Carrol,  in  an  absent  way. 

"  I  say,"  said  Grimes,  "  gather  up 
your  wits,  and  be  a  man.  It  was  an 
infernally  unlucky  thing  that  we  met 
them,  but  it  could  n't  be  helped,  no- 
how, and  I  've  been  upset  ever  since  ; 
but  what 's  the  use  of  miaulin  like  a 
darned  cat  over  a  drownded  kitten  !  I 
won't,  for  one." 

Saying  this,  Mr.  Grimes  drew  a  long 
breath,  and  then  proceeded  to  pound 
his  chest  vigoiously  with  his  two 
brawny  fists,  in  the  fashion  which  Mr. 
Du  Chaillu  ascribes  to  the  cheerful 
gorilla.  This  pleasant  exercise  seemed 
to  do  Mr.  Grimes  a  world  of  good  ;  for 
after  he  had  struck  a  number  of  blows, 
each  of  which,  if  dealt  upon  an  enemy. 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors, 


"' 
|l  I  ' 

'' ' ! 
III' 

iiiiif 

|;i,lirlli 


I    I   H- 

lull' 


'■'i       1 

iiiiiiii 

i|ii|nl' 
'lillillj 


'iHli 

III 


% 


might  have  reduced  tliat  enemy  to  a 
state  of  pitiable  harmlcssness,  he  said 
briskly  and  sharply,  "Wal,  now  let's 
get  to  business." 

The  deserted  house  stood  about  a 
hundred  yards  from  the  road.  Carrol 
followed  his  friend  in  silence  as  he 
passed  through  a  broken  gateway  and 
over  what  had  once  been  a  garden  to 
the  house.  There  were  no  doors  or 
1  windows  in  the  house,  and  there  was  a 
'  general  air  of  desolation  about  it  that 
was  oppressive. 

"Wal,"  said  Grimes,  "will  this 
suit?" 

"  Anything  'II  suit,"  said  Carrol, 
coldly. 

"  Vou  agree  to  this  kind  o'  fightin'  ?" 

"  I  agree  to  anything,"  said  Carrol. 
"We  've  talked  all  that  over." 

"So  we  have,  but  this  sort  of  fightin' 
presupposes  a  desperate  mind." 

"  Well,  I  tell  you,  I  am  desperate. 
I  don't  care  whether  I  live  or  die. 
I  've  seen  the  last  of  that  treacherous 
she-devil,  and  only  want  to  live  long 
enough  to  put  one  drop  of  bitterness 
in  her  cup.  But  what 's  the  use  of 
talking  ?  Give  me  that  Frenchman  and 
put  me  in  here  with  him.  That 's  all  I 
want." 

"  Darkness,"  said  Grimes,  solemnly. 
"  sometimes  has  a  depressin'  efTcct  on 
tlie  human  nerve.  Can  you  stand 
that  ? " 

"  O,  damn  the  human  nerve  ! " 
growled  Carrol.  "I  tell  you  I  can 
stand  anything." 

"  I  'm  afraid  you  're  just  a  mite  too  e>c- 
citccl,  my  son  ;  but  then,  temperaments 
diflcr.  Now  the  prospect  of  a  good, 
rousin'  fight  has  a  kind  of  cheerin'  effect 
"on  me,  and  makes  me  a  Christian  in 
one  sense,  for  I  get  almost  to  love  my 
J  enemy." 

"  Well,  I  've  a  different  feeling  to- 
ward my  enemy,"  said  Carrol ;  "  so  now 
let 's  go  and  finish  up  this  business  as 
soon  as  we  can.  It  must  be  done  up 
to-night." 

"  So  say  I  ;  for  I  've  got  to  go,"  said 
Grimes.     "  I  '11  go  now  after  Moosoo. 
Where  shall  I  see  you  ? " 
"  At  your  rooms.     I  won't  go  back 


to  mine,  I  don't  want  to  see  any  fel- 
lows." 

On  reaching  the  town  again  Grimes 
went  olT,  and  Carrol  went  to  the  rooms 
of  his  friend,  where  he  awaited  the 
result. 

In  about  two  hours  Grimes  came 
back. 

"Wal,"  said  he,  "you're  in  the 
dark  here.  .Suppose  we  have  some 
light  on  the  subject."  And  he  pro- 
ceeded to  light  up.  "  Won't  you 
smoke  ? " 

Carrol  said  nothing,  but  began  to  fill 
a  pipe  in  an  abstracted  way,  while 
Grimes  filled  another. 

"  Wal,"  said  he,  "  I  've  been  and 
seen  'em  ;  and  a  precious  hard  time 
I  've  had  of  it,  too.  They  're  both 
Moosoos,  and  your  I\Ioosoo  and  his 
friend,  bein'  foreigners,  had  a  most  un- 
nat'ral  prejudice  agaim-t  the  mode  of 
combat  decided  on  by  you.  And  it 's 
taken  me  full  two  good  hours  to  beat 
into  their  frog-eatin'  heads  that  this  is 
the  only  fair,  just,  equitable,  unpartial, 
and  reasonable  mod--  of  fightin'  rccoj^ 
nized  among  high-toned  men.  And  so 
it  is.  For  look  at  me.  1  'ni  a  high- 
toned  man.  Wal,  I  give  my  vote  clean 
in  favor  of  it. 

"Moosoo's  friend  is  a  fellow-coun- 
tryman of  his  who  came  out  with  him 
to  America  ;  and  as  they  have  neither 
of  them  been  here  more  than  two  or 
three  months,  they  show  an  ignorance 
and  a  prejudice  and  a  stoopidity  that 
is  incredible.  Why,  they  actilly  had 
the  audacity  to  quote  their  infernal 
frog-eatin'  French  customs  against  me, 
—  me  that's  been  brought  up  on  the 
Californy  code.  But  I  managed  pre- 
cious soon  to  show  them  that  their 
small  I'aris  fashions  wa'  n't  a  circum- 
stance out  here, 

"You  must  understand  that  first  of 
all  I  saw  only  his  friend,  but  he  found 
my  ))roposition  so  disagreeable,  and, 
as  he  called  it,  so  monstrous,  that 
he  had  to  consult  Moosoo  himself,  and 
gradually  I  was  worked  into  the  con- 
versation with  the  principal.  I'ortu- 
nately,  I  can  talk  their  language  as 
fast  as  they  can,  with  a  good,  strong, 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


25 


;e  any  fel- 

in  Grimes 
the  rooms 
.vaitecl   the 

mes   came 

-e  in  the 
lavc  some 
id  lie  pro- 
Von't    you 

icgan  to  fill 
way,   while 

been  and 
hard  time 
;y  're  both 
)0  and  his 
a  most  un- 
e  mode  of 
.  And  it's 
urs  to  beat 
that  this  is 
I,  un;iartial, 
litin'  rcco- 
n.  And  so 
'm  a  high- 
r  vote  clean 

ellow-coun- 
it  with  him 
tve  neither 
an   two  or 

ignorance 
)pidity  tliat 
actilly  had 
ir  infernal 
against  me, 

up  on  the 
naged  pre- 

that  tlieir 

a  circum- 

hat  first  of 
t  he  found 
eable,  and, 
trous,  that 
imself,  and 
:o  the  con- 
al.  Fortu- 
mguagc  as 
od,  strong, 


honest  Yankee  accent,  which  I  may 
add  is  the  only  safeguard  to  the  moral 
nature  of  a  free  American  when  he  doos 
speak  French. 

"  Wal,  I  found  Moosoo  as  venomous 
as  a  rat,  and  as  thirsty  for  your  blood 
as  a  tiger.  He  felt  confidence  in  his 
own  skill,  and  was  as  sure  of  you  as  he 
would  be  of  his  dinner,  yea,  perhaps 
more  so.  And  this  was  the  very  thing 
i  I  tackled  him  about  at  the  outset.  I 
sliowed  him  that  we,  bein'  the  chal- 
lenged party,  had  a  right  to  define  our 
weepins  and  locate  the  scene  of  ac- 
tion. I  showed  that  we  were  bound 
to  look  after  our  rights,  privileges,  and 
appurtenances,  and  not  let  him  have 
it  all  his  own  way.  I  then  went  on  to 
show  that  the  proposed  mode  was  at 
once  sound,  just,  fair,  wise,  equitable, 
and  honest.  Wal,  the  blind  prejudice 
of  Moosoo  was  amazin',  I  never  saw 
anythin'  like  it.  All  my  arguments 
about  fairness,  equity,  and  abstract 
right  were  thrown  away.  So,  then,  I 
had  to  bring  before  him  my  second 
poini,  namel}',  that  this  is  the  custom 
of  the  country." 

"  What,  to  fight  duels  in  the  dark  ?  " 
"  Wal,  no,  not  precisely  that,  but 
to  fight  accordin'  to  the  will  of  the 
challenged  party.  As  for  fightin'  in 
the  dark,  I  showed  that  this  of  itself 
was  not  the  custom,  but  still  it  was  a 
custom  of  the  country,  and  as  such 
deserved  to  be  regarded  with  venera- 
tion by  foreigners,  and  adopted  by 
them  whenever  it  was  the  desire  of  an 
American  who  might  be  the  challenged 
party.  This  argument  was  one  which 
they  did  n't  find  it  so  easy  to  meet. 
They  fit  against  it  hke  all-possessed ; 
but  my  position  was  an  impregnable 
one,  and  they  could  no  more  shake 
me  from  it  than  a  couple  of  bumble- 
bees could  uproot  the  giant  tree  that 
lifts  its  gorgeous  head  from  the  midst 
of  the  primeval  forest.  No,  sir.  And 
finally,  as  a  settler,  I  brought  up  Cali- 
forny.  I  described  its  wealth  of  re- 
sources, animal,  vegetable,  and  min- 
eral ;  its  giant  mountains,  its  sunless 
valleys,  its  broad  plains,  its  stoopen- 
dous  trees  ;  I  dilated  upon  the  Yosem- 


ite  ;  I  portrayed  the  Golden  Gate  ;  I 
gave  them  estimates  of  our  annual 
commerce ;  I  explained  our  school 
law,  our  criminal  law,  and  our  spe- 
cie currency.  I  informed  them  that 
Californy  was  at  once  the  brain,  the 
heart,  and  the  right  arm  of  the  broad 
continent ;  that  Californy  usage  was 
final  throughout  America,  and  that 
Californy  sanctioned  the  mode  pro- 
posed. 

"  Wal,  now,  Moosoo  was  dreadful 
disinclined  to  fight  a  duel  in  the  dark. 
He  was  bloodthirsty  and  venomous, 
but  at  the  same  time  I  detected  in 
him  a  dash  of  timidity,  and  the  pros- 
pect of  this  kind  of  a  meetin'  upset  him 
a  little.  It's  either  natural  timidity 
croppin'  out,  or  else  it 's  a  kind  of  su- 
perstition, perhaps  both  ;  and  whatever 
it  was  it  made  him  refuse  this  dool  for 
a  long  time.  But  Califcrny  settled 
him.  The  supreme  author;  .y  of  Amer- 
ica was  somethin'  they  could  n't  object 
to. 

"Wal,  I  redooced  them  to  submis- 
sion, and  then  it  only  remained  to 
settle  the  details.  Wal,  first  and 
foremost,  we  are  to  go  there,  —  all  of 
us  together.  Wal,  then  the  seconds 
are  to  put  the  principals  in  the  room 
whar  the  business  is  to  be  transacted. 
Wal,  then  the  seconds  are  to  take  their 
departure  and  fly." 

"  What 's  that  ?  what  ? "  asked  Car- 
rol, who  had  thus  far  listened  without 
sho'ving  much  interest.  "  Why  should 
the  seconds  go  ?  " 

"  Why  should  they  stay  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  don't  know,  except  to  see 
fair  play." 

"  Wal,  in  the  first  place,  as  it 's  goin' 
to  be  pitch  dark  the  seconds  won't  be 
able  to  see  anything ;  in  the  second 
place,  the  very  essence  of  the  whole 
thing  is  that  the  fighters  be  left  to 
their  own  natural  instincts  ;  and  in  the 
third  place,  if  no  one  sees  it  there 
won't  be  any  witnesses  for  the  lawyers 
to  get  hold  of  in  case  the  survivor  is 
tried  for  his  life." 

"And  do  you  really  mean  to  say 
that  you  're  going  away  ?  Won't  you 
stay  till  —  till  —  "    Carrol  hesitated. 


26 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


'■'  I;! 


"Stay?"  echoed  Grimes.  "Stay? 
Me!  —  me  stay!  And  here!  What, 
here  !  Are  you  mad  ?  Don't  you  see 
my  trunk  ?  Have  n't  you  heard  my 
mournful  story  ?  Ought  n't  I  even  now 
to  be  rollin'  along  on  my  windin'  way  ? 
No.  I  leave  this  place  at  once  and 
forever ;  and  I  'm  only  waitin'  to  be 
of  service  to  an  old  friend  in  the  hour 
of  need ;  and,  my  son,  I  '11  shake  hands 
witii  you  when  we  part,  and  bid  you 
good  by,  witli  the  hope  that  we  may  at 
last  meet  again  whar  partin's  air  un- 
known." 

Midnight  was  the  hour  settled  upon 
for  the  duel,  and  about  half  past  eleven 
Grimes  and  Carrol  called  on  the 
Frenchmen.  They  were  ready.  Du 
Potiron  looked  pale  and  nervous  ;  in 
which  respect  Carrol  was  fully  his 
equal.  Du  Potiron's  friend  looked 
dark  and  sullen.  Grimes  alone  showed 
anything  like  ordinary  good  feeling.  He 
was  calm,  urbane,  chatty,  and  at  times 
even  jocose.  He  had  the  manner  of 
one  who  was  putting  a  strong  restraint 
upon  himself,  but  underneath  this  re- 
straint there  was  an  immense  pressure 
of  riotous  feeling  that  at  times  surged 
up  mightily.  The  feeling  was  the  fur- 
thest possible  from  grief  or  anxiety. 
Was  it  natural  cold-heartedness  in  this 
man  that  allowed  him  at  such  a  time 
to  be  capable  of  such  levity,  that  per- 
mitted him,  while  accompanying  an  in- 
timate and  trusting  friend  on  such  an 
errand,  to  have  no  thought  of  that 
friend's  impending  doom  ? 

So  they  marched  on,  the  four  of 
them ;  first  Grimes  and  Carrol,  then 
the  two  "  Moosoos."  After  finding  that 
his  companions  declined  conversation, 
Grimes  gave  it  up,  and  walked  on  in 
silence.  Sometimes  his  huge  frame 
would  shake  from  his  hat  to  his  boots  ; 
and  on  one  occasion  he  even  went  so 
far  as  to  beat  his  breast,  gorilla  fash- 
ion,—  a  proceeding  that  excited  much 
suspicion  and  anxiety  in  the  minds  of 
the  foreigners. 

Carrol  noticed  this,  but  did  not  think 
much  about  it.  He  was  well  acquaint- 
ed with  the  eccentricities  and  extrava- 
gances of  his  friend,  and  did  not  see 


much  in  his  present  conduct  that  was 
very  different  from  usual.  Once  or 
twice,  it  is  true,  he  could  not  help 
feeling  that  repressed  laughter  was  a 
little  out  of  place,  but  he  accounted 
for  it  on  the  ground  that  Grimes 
was  really  troubled  in  his  mind,  and 
took  this  way  of  struggling  with  his 
emotion. 

On  the  whole,  however,  Carrol  did 
not  give  much  thought  to  Grimes.  As 
he  walked  on,  his  mind  was  occupied  | 
with  the  events  of  the  last  few  days, 
and  the  dark  rendezvous  before  him. 
In  those  few  days  were  comprised  all 
the  real  trouble  he  had  ever  known. 
He  had  never  in  his  life  quarrelled  with 
any  one,  much  less  fought  a  duel  ;  yet 
here  in  three  days  his  heart  had  been 
filled  with  bitterness  and  hate  and  de- 
spair. 

Nor  amid  these  contending  feelings 
was  he  least  aff(;cted  by  a  certain  hor- 
ror of  soul  arising  from  the  meeting 
before  him.  He  was  going  at  that  mid- 
night hour  to  meet  death  or  to  inflict  it. 
That  gloomy,  deserted  house,  under  the 
midnight  sky,  was  to  be  the  scene  ;  and 
in  that  house  even  now  there  awaited 
one  of  them,  perhaps  both,  the  King 
of  Terrors. 

Was  it  wonderful,  then,  that  at  such 
a  time  and  on  such  an  errand,  there 
should  have  come  over  Carrol's  soul  a 
certain  overwhelming  and  shuddering 
awe  ?  Has  not  the  greatest  of  singers 
shown  this  feeling  in  the  soul  even  of 
Ajax  while  fighting  in  the  dark  ?  Car- 
rol going  in  broad  day  to  meet  his 
enemy  would  have  been  animated  sole- 
ly by  that  vindictive  hate  which  he  had 
already  manifested,  and  would  have 
soothed  himself  by  the  hope  of  inflict-' 
ing  sorrow  of  some  sort  on  Miss  Heath- 
cote  ;  but  Carrol  at  midnight,  in  the 
dark,  on  his  way  to  that  place  of  meet- 
ing, to  encounter  an  unseen  enemy, 
found  himself  a  weaker  being.  He 
was  unable  to  maintain  his  fierce  vin- 
dictive hate.  Wrath  and  fury  subsided 
at  the  presence  of  that  one  feeling 
which  in  all  human  hearts  is  capable 
of  overmastering  all  else, —  the  un- 
speakable sense  of  horror. 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


27 


;t  that  was 

Once  or 

I    not  help 

liter  was  a 

accounted 
at    Grimes 

mind,  and 
s  with  his 

Carrol  did 
;rimes.  As 
IS  occupied  i 
It  few  days, 
before  him. 
imprised  all 
iver  known, 
irrelled  with 
a  duel  ;  yet 
irt  had  been 
late  and  de- 
ling feelings 
certain  hor- 
the  meeting 

at  that  mid- 
r  to  inflict  it. 
se,  under  the 
;  scene  ;  and 
lere  awaited 
;h,  the  King 


that  at  such 
irrand,  there 
arrol's  soul  a 
I  shuddering 
St  of  singers 
soul  even  of 
dark  ?  Car- 
to  meet  his 
limated  sole- 
ivhich  he  had 
would  have 
)pe  of  inflict-' 

Miss  Heath- 
night,  in  the 
)lace  of  meet- 
seen   enemy, 

being.  He 
lis  fierce  vin- 
fury  subsided 
:  one  feeling 
ts  is  capable 
se,  — the  un- 


V. 

DESPISED  LOVE. 

After  that  unexpected  meeting  with 
Grimes  and  Carrol,  the  ladies  drove 
home,  and  not  a  word  was  spoken  by 
either.  The  house  was  not  far  away, 
and  the  drive  was  not  long  enough  to 
allow  them  time  to  recover  from  the 
emotion  which  this  meeting  caused 
them.  But  over  Maud's  pale  face,  there 
came  a  hot  angry  flush,  and  her  brows 
contracted  into  an  indignant  frown. 
She  remained  in  her  room  longer  than 
was  strictly  necessary  for  disrobing 
herself,  and  when  she  joined  her  sister 
she  had  become  calmer. 

"  O  Maudie  darling,"  said  Mrs. 
Lovell,  "  I  thought  you  were  never 
coming.  I  do  so  want  to  talk  to  you. 
Only  thiak  how  very  odd  it  was  that  I 
should  meet  him  in  that  way.  And  he 
looked  so  awfully  embarrassed.  Did 
n't  you  notice  it  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Maud. 

"  Why,  how  strange  !  Well,  you 
know,  I  never  felt  so  cut  up  in  all  my 
life." 

"  Did  you  ?  " 

«•  Positively.  I  assure  you  I  believe 
I  'm  growing  prematurely  old,  and  rap- 
idly getting  into  my  dotage.  But  how 
really  magnificent  he  looked  !  I  'm  so 
glad  I  saw  him,  and  I  'm  so  glad  he 
is  n't  coming  here  any  more.  Do  you 
know,  darling,  I  'm  more  afraid  of  my- 
self than  ever?  Really,  I  sometimes 
think  that  1  'm  weaker  than  a  child. 
How  very  fortunate  for  me  it  is  that  he 
has  such  real  delicacy,  and  is  so  very 
punctilious  and  all  that !  Why,  if  he 
were  ditferent,  one  really  could  n't  tell 
what  might  happen.  O  dear,  how  very 
fortunate  it  is  that  I  'm  going  to  Paris  ! 
But,  Mrudie  dear,  did  you  notice  what 
a  leonine  aspect  he  had  ?  " 

"  Who  ?  "  asked  Maud,  languidly. 

"Who  ?  Why,  how  stupid  !  Why, 
he,  Mr.  Grimes,  of  course.  You  can't 
suppose  that  I  meant  Mr.  Carrol.  He 
looked  anything  but  leonine.  He  was 
as  white  as  a  sheet,  and  as  stiff  as  a 
statue." 

Maud  sighed. 


"  Well,  I  'm  sure,"  resumed  Mrs. 
Lovell,  "  it 's  particularly  fortunate  for 
me  that  I  'm  going  to  Paris.  I  feel 
that  I  'm  shamefully  weak,  and  if  I 
were  to  stay  here  I  really  don't  know 
what  would  become  of  me.  As  it  is  I 
shall  escape  from  him.  Of  course  he 
will  be  here  immediately,  but  I  shall 
evade  him.  But,  poor  fellow,"  —  ami 
Mrs.  Lovell  sighed,  —  "  how  terribly 
Cut  up  he  will  be  when  he  finds  that  I 
am  gone  !  And  he  won't  know  where 
in  the  world  I  have  gone  to.  He 
would  follow  me,  of  course,  to  the 
world's  end,  but  he  can  never,  never 
think  of  Paris.  Only  he  might  think 
of  it,  and,  O  dear,  if  he  were  to  find 
out,  and  follow  me,  what  would  be- 
come of  me,  Maudie  ?  Do  you  knov/  ? 
I  'm  sure  I  don't,  or,  rather,  I  do 
know,  but  it  's  really  too  horrible  to 
think  of.  I  've  an  immense  amount  of 
strength  of  character,  and  all  that  sort 
of  thing,  Maudie  dearest,  but  really  if  I 
should  see  him  in  Paris  I  'm  afraid  I 
should  quite  give  up.  I  really  do  not 
know  what  resource  I  should  have, 
unless  I  might  fly  home  and  take 
refuge  with  poor  dear  papa,  and  I  'm 
sure  he's  had  worry  enough  with  me,, 
and  then  only  think  what  worry  he  'd 
have  if  Mr.  Grimes  should  pursue  me 
there  and  see  me  again.  What  could 
poor  dear  papa  do  ?  He  's  so  awfully 
fond  of  me  that  he  's  quite  unreliable. 
He  always  lets  me  do  just  what  I 
choose.  Really,  do  you  know,  ALiudie, 
I  sometimes  think  it  is  quite  heart- 
rending for  one  's  papa  to  be  so  very, 
very  weak.     I  do  really." 

"  Poor  fellow  !  "  said  Maud,  with  a 
sigh. 

"  Poor  what  ?  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Lov- 
ell, looking  in  astonishment  at  Maud. 
"  Really,  Maudie,  it  strikes  me  that 
you  have  a  very  funny  way  of  alluding 
to  poor  papa." 

"  Papa  .?  "  said  Maud,  "  I  did  n't 
mean  him.     I  meant  —  Mr.  Carrol." 

"  O,  Mr.  Carrol.  Well,  Maudie, 
now  that  you  remind  me  of  him,  it 
seems  to  me  very  odd.  I  thought  he 
had  bid  you  an  eterral  farewell,  and  .ill 
that.    But  it 's  always  the  way  with 


flifTf 


'III 

■'Ill 
'III , 

II  ill' 
I  II 

l.li 
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H" 


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>;«|l 

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lill'lllll 

lIlllMI  ll 

'lillliill! 
i|ii|i'il'i 

'll|l'lll| 
■  111 


11! 
!!!iM;    il 


I 


II 

l<  : 

I   i' 

111; 


lliil 


28 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


men.  You  don't  know  how  to  take 
them.  Really,  you  can  never  know 
when  they  are  in  earnest.  For  my  part, 
I  don't  believe  they  know,  themselves. 
I  really  don't." 

'*  He  did  n't  speak,"  said  Maud,  in  a 
voice  of  indescribable  sadness,  "  he 
did  n't  even  look  at  me,  and  I  was  so 
—  I  thought  so  much  of  him.  And 
then  you  know  I  really  was  n't  to 
blame." 

"  J  'oit,  darling  !  you  to  blame  !  You 
never  were  to  blame  in  your  life,  my 
sweet  Maudie.  And  it  breaks  my  heart 
to  see  you  so  sad.  And  I  hate  him.  I 
really  do.  But  that 's  the  way  with 
men.  Fickle,  variable,  creatures  of 
mere  impulse,  prone  to  wander,  obey- 
ing nothing  but  mere  passion,  whim- 
sical, incapable  of  careful  and  logical 
thought.  Really,  IMaudie  dear,  I  have 
a  very,  very  low  opinion  of  men,  and 
my  advice  to  you  is,  never,  never  al- 
low yourself  to  think  too  much  of  any 
one  man.  He  '11  be  sure  to  give  you 
many  a  heart-ache.  You  follow  my 
advice  and  do  as  I  do." 

"  He  looked  so  dreadfully  pale,  and 
sad,  and  carewora.  It  breaks  my  heart 
to  think  of.it." 

"  Pale  ?  W'.iy,  Maudie  dear,  you 
need  never  imagine  that  his  paleness 
had  anything  to  do  with  you.  Do  you 
know  what  such  a  fancy  is  ?  Why,  it 's 
morbid." 

"  He  would  n't  even  look  at  me,"  said 
Maud.  "And  I  longed  so  to  catch  his 
eye.     I  should  have  spoken  to  him." 

"  My  dear  Maudie,  how  very  silly 
and  unladylike  !  As  to  his  paleness, 
that  is  all  assumed.  These  men,  dear, 
are  really  all  actors.  They  wear  masks, 
Maudie,  they  really  do.  You  can't  trust 
one  of  them.  As  for  his  paleness,  I 
have  no  doubt  it  was  simply  indiges- 
tion,—  or  perhaps  dissipation." 

"  Mr.  Carrol  is  not  at  all  dissipated," 
said  Maud,  indignantly. 

"  Well,  dear,  you  need  n't  take  one 
up  so,  and  really,  you  know  you  don't 
know  much  about  him.  I  dare  say 
he 's  very,  very  dissipated.  At  any 
rate,  he's  very,  very  deceitful." 

"  Deceitful ! " 


"  Yes  ;  did  n't  he  bid  you  an  eternal 
farewell,  and  say  he  was  going  away  ? 
Well,  the  first  thing  you  know,  you 
meet  him  calmly  strolling  about  the 
streets." 

"  O,"  cried  Maud,  fervently,  "  if  I 
had  only  known  it,  I  should  have 
written  him  at  once  and  explained  it 
all.  But,  O  Georgie  !  I  was  so  sure 
that  he  had  gone  away,  and  that  thought 
filled  me  with  despair." 

"  Really,  Maudie,  you  use  such  strong 
language  that  I  feel  quite  shocked. 
Despair  ?  What  do  you  know  of  de- 
spair ?  Wait  till  you  've  had  my  expe- 
rience." 

And  Mrs.  Lovell  sighed  heavily. 

"  At  any  rate,  Maudie,"  said  she,  af- 
ter a  brief  silence,  "  one  thing  is  quite 
plain  to  me,  and  that  is,  that  he  is  at 
least  very  undecided.  He  really  does 
n't  know  his  own  mind.  He  pretend- 
ed to  want  you,  and  then  he  gave  you 
up  on  account  of  a  slight  mistake.  He 
wrote  you  solemnly,  announcing  his 
eternal  departure,  and  yet  he  stayed 
here  and  wandered  about  on  purpose 
to  meet  you  and  give  you  distress. 
And  he  does  n't  know  his  own  mind  at 
this  moment." 

Maud  was  silent. 

"  O  yes,"  resumed  l\Irs.  Lovell,  "you 
'11  find  it  so,  when  you  gain  more  expe- 
rience, Maudie  dearest,  you  '11  learn  to 
think  very  little  of  the  men.  They  are 
all  so  very  undecided.  Quite  worth- 
less, in  fact.  Now  you  'II  find  that  a 
man  is  never  really  worth  anything  till 
he  gets  a  wife.  And  I  suppose  tliat's 
one  reason  why  they're  all  so  eager 
to  be  married.  Quite  unsettled  till 
then.  Why,  look  at  Adam,"  continued 
Mrs.  Lovell,  speaking  of  the  father  of 
mankind  in  the  same  tone  in  which  she 
would  have  alluded  to  some  well-known 
friend, —  "  look  at  Adam.  He  was  quite 
worthless,  O,  I  assure  you,  he  was 
really  quite  worthless,  till  his  wife  was 
presented  to  him.  But,  Maudie,  when 
you  think  of  it,  what  a  very  awkward 
meeting  it  must  have  been !  Only 
themselves,  you  know,  dear,  and  not 
a  single  soul  to  introduce  them.  I 
wonder  how  they  managed  it." 


A  Comedy  of  Tarors. 


29 


And  Mrs.  Lovell  jiauscd,  quite  over- 
come by  the  inscrutable  problem  which 
was  presented  by  tliis  one  idea. 

To  all  of  her  sister's  somewhat  des- 
ultory remarks  Maud  seemed  to  pay 
but  little  attention.  Slie  sat  with  an 
abstracted  look,  occupied  by  her  own 
thoughts  ;  and  so  after  Mrs.  Lovell's 
darinij  fliLjht  of  fancy  on  the  subject  of 
Adam,  she  sighed,  and  said  :  "  I  do 
wonder  what  kept  hiii  here.  If  I  had 
only  known  it !  " 

"  My  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell,  "  I'll 
tell  you  what  kept  him  here.  He  did 
it  to  tease  you.  IMen  do  so  love  to 
tease,  and  worry,  and  vex,  and  annoy. 
Men  are  always  so.  Really,  when  I 
come  to  think  of  it,  I  wonder  why  men 
were  created,  I  do  positively,  though 
of  course  it's  awfully  wicked  to  make 
a  remark  of  that  kind,  and  seems  al- 
most like  flying  in  the  face  of  Provi- 
d&nce.  But  perhaps  it  is  the  wisest 
plan  in  this  life  to  try  to  make  the  best 
of  our  evils,  instead  of  fighting  against 
them,  and  I  dare  say  it  would  be  best 
for  us  to  act  on  that  principle  with  re- 
gard to  men." 

Maud  took  no  notice  of  this.  She 
rose  from  her  chair  in  an  excited 
way  and  said,  "  Georgie,  I  must  write 
him." 

"  Write  him  !  Why,  my  precious 
child  ! " 

"  I  must,  Georgie,  I  really  must  write 
him.  It 's  been  a  terrible  mistake,  and 
my  mistake,  and  I  cannot  let  another 
hour  pass  without  an  explanation.  It 
may  be  all  too  late,  yet  I  must  do  it.  I 
can  never,  never  have  any  peace  till  I 
have  explained  it  all." 

"  Well,  Maudie,  I  must  say  I  feel 
quite  shocked  at  such  a  very  unlady- 
like proposal ;  but,  darling,  if  you  real- 
ly feel  so  very  disturbed,  and  agitated, 
and  all  that,  why,  I  won't  say  one 
word  ;  only  do  try  to  calm  yourself, 
dearest ;  you  are  so  pale  and  sad,  and 
have  been  so  utterly  unlike  yourself 
ever  since  that  horrid  letter,  that  it  quite 
breaks  my  heart  to  look  at  you.  So  go, 
Maudie,  and  do  whatever  you  like,  ard 
try  to  get  that  wretched  man  off  your 
mind  if  you  possibly  can." 


Maud  sighed  again,  and  left  the 
room,  while  Mrs.  Lovell  leaned  her 
head  upon  her  hand  and  gave  herself 
up  to  her  own  meditations. 

After  about  an  hour  Maud  came 
back  with  a  letter  in  her  hand. 

"Well,  darling  .'"  said  Mrs.  Lovell, 
5n  an  interrogative  tone. 

"  Well,"  said  Maud,  "  I  've  written 
him." 

"  Mind,  darling,  I  don't  approve  of  it 
at  all.  I  only  yielded  to  you  because 
you  were  so  sad.  I  believe  that  he 
has  treated  you  in  a  shockingly  cruel 
manner,  and  is  now  trying  his  best  to 
make  you  miserable.  This  letter  will 
only  draw  another  one  from  him  worse 
than  the  last." 

"  I  cannot  help  it,"  said  IMaud,  mourn- 
fully. "  I  had  to  write.  It  was  my 
mistake.  I  owed  him  an  explan- 
ation." 

*'  You  owed  him  nothing  of  the  kind, 
Maudie  darling.  Women  never  owe 
men  any  explanations  of  any  kind.  You 
are  too  weak  altogether.  But  that's 
always  the  way  with  women.  They 
are  always  too  magnanimous  ;  they  are 
never  petty  and  selfish  ;  they  are  too 
just ;  they  allow  themselves  to  be  in- 
fluenced too  much  by  reason,  and  would 
often  be  better  for  a  little  dash  of  pas- 
sion, or  temper,  or  proper  pride ;  and, 
Maudie  dear,  I  do  wish  you  would  n't 
be  so  absurd." 

"  I  have  my  share  of  proper  pride," 
said  Maud,  quietly,  "and  enough  to 
support  me  in  the  liour  of  trial.  But  I 
had  to  write  this.  I  owed  it  to  him.  It 
was  my  own  unfortunate  mistake.  I 
must  explain  this  wretched  blunder  to 
him.  If  he  will  not  receive  this,  why 
then  I  feel  that  my  own  pride  and 
proper  self-respect  will  sustain  me,  un- 
der all  possible  circumstances.  And, 
Georgie  dear,  though  I  never  suspected 
till  now  the  real  strength  of  my  feelings, 
yet  I  am  sure  that  if  he  should  prove 
to  be  unworthy,  I  shall  be  able  to  over- 
come them,  and  succeed  in  time  in 
casting  him  from  my  thoughts." 

"  You  're  too  tr.agic,  Maudie,"  said 
Mrs.  Lovell,  anxiously ;  "  and  I  don't 
like  to  see  you  in  this  mood.    But  what 


ji[ffp![r 


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II  III  III 
11 II I  111 

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A  Comedy  of  Terrors, 


Iiavc  yon  written  ?  Of  course,  I  only 
ask  in  a  general  way." 

"  Weil,  I  explained  the  mistake,  you 
know,"  said  Maud. 

"It  was  not  at  all  necessary,"  said 
Mrs.  Lovell. 

"  I  told  him  how  it  happened,"  said 
Maud,  without  noticing  her  sister's 
remark, —  "  the  two  letters,  my  own  ex- 
citement and  agitation,  and  all  that." 

"  Well,  did  you  give  him  any  reason 
to  suppose  that  he  would  still  be  wel- 
come .' " 

"  I  certainly  did,"  said  Maud.  "  I 
wrote  him  ''n  the  same  tone  which  I 
had  used  in  the  first  unfortunate  let- 
ter." 

Mrs.  Lovell  shook  her  head. 

"  Tliat  was  very,  very  unwise,  l\raudie 
dearest,"  said  she,  "you  should  have 
been  more  cautious.  You  should  have 
shown  him  hov/  cruel  he  was.  You 
should  have  witten  your  letter  in  such 
a  way  as  to  iihow  him  that  he  was  al- 
together in  the  wrong,  and  then  after 
making  him  feel  proper  repentance  you 
might  have  hinted,  merely  hinted,  you 
know,  that  you  would  not  be  altogether 
indisposed  to  forgive  him,  if  he  —  if  he 
showed  himself  sufficiently  sorry  for 
his  fault." 

"  Well,"  said  Maud,  "  I  had  to  write 
as  my  heart  prompted.  I  am  incapable 
of  any  concealment ;  I  am  anxious  to 
explain  a  mistake.  I  don't  want  any- 
thing more  from  him  than  —  than  an 
acknowledgment  that  he  was  mistaken 
in  his  cruel  letter." 

At  this  juncture  a  caller  was  an- 
nounced, and  Maud,  not  feeling  equal 
to  tlie  occasion,  and  being  also  anxious 
to  send  off  her  letter,  took  her  depart- 
ure. 

When  the  caller  had  departed  she 
rejoined  her  sister. 

"  O  Maudie,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell,  "who 
do  you  think  it  was  ?  Why,  Mrs.  An- 
derson. And  she  told  me  such  a 
shocking  story  about  Mr.  Carrol." 

Maud's  face  turned  whiter  than  ever ; 
she  could  not  speak. 

"  All  the  town  's  talking  about  it," 
said  Mrs.  Lovell.  "  I  told  you  he  was 
dissipated,  you  know." 


"  What  —  wh.at  was  it  ?  "  said  Maud, 
in  a  choked  voice. 

"  Well,  you  know,  it  was  last  night. 
He  had  been  with  a  party  of  his  boon 
companions  at  some  bar-room  or  other, 
and  they  had  all  been  dissipating  and 
carousing,  and  they  all  began  to  light, 
and  Mr.  Carrol  was  the  worst  of  them 
all,  and  he  knocked  them  all  down,  and 
behaved  like  a  perfect  fiend.  O,  he 
must  have  behaved  fearfully ;  and  so  you 
see,  IMaudie  dear,  there  was  very  good 
reason  why  he  should  be  pale  to-day 
and  not  dare  to  look  you  in  the  face. 
He  felt  thoroughly  ashamed  of  himself, 
and  for  my  part  I  wonder  how  he  dared 
to  walk  the  streets." 

"  I  don't  believe  it,"  said  Maud,  in- 
dignantly ;  "  Mrs.  Anderson  is  an  odi- 
ous old  gossip." 

"  Well,  all  the  town  believes  it," 
said  Mrs.  Lovell,  in  a  resigned  tone ; 
"  and  so  you  see,  Maudie,  it 's  quite 
true,  as  I  've  always  said,  that  you  are 
very  fortunate  in  getting  rid  of  Mr. 
Carrol,  and  the  time  will  come,  and 
very  soon  I  hope,  when  you  will  feel 
very  glad  that  this  has  happened." 

"  I  don't  believe  it,"  said  ^Laud, 
again,  but  in  a  tone  that  was  a  little 
less  confident ;  yet  as  she  said  this  she 
thought  that  it  was  not  unnatural  for  a 
disappointed  lover  to  seek  solace  in 
dissipation,  and  outdo  his  companions 
in  extravagance,  and  as  she  thought 
of  this  her  heart  sank  within  her. 

"  Well,  I  believe  it,"  said  Mrs.  Lov- 
ell, "  every  word  of  it.  For  you  know, 
Maudie  dearest,  that's  the  way  with 
the  men.  They  are  so  weak,  so  child- 
ish, so  impetuous,  so  wayward  ;  and 
you  know  they  are  all  so  fond  of  getting 
intoxicated.  Now  we  women  never 
get  intoxicated,  do  we,  Maudie.''  O,  I 
assure  you,  if  it  were  not  for  men  the 
world  would  be  a  very  different  sort  of  a 
place,  really  it  would,  Maudie  darling ! " 

The  profound  truth  of  this  last  re- 
mark was  so  evident  that  Maud  did 
not  seem  inclined  to  dispute  it ;  she 
sat  in  silence,  pale,  sorrowful,  agitated, 
and  wrapt  up  in  her  own  mournful 
thoughts. 

This  explanatory  letter  was  written 


■-"■  ——-^•— - 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


31 


on  the  day  after  Maud  Iiad  received 
Carrol's  farewell.  liefore  she  sent  it 
off,  she  wrote  another  to  Du  I'otiron 
which  was  intended  to  make  tilings 
clear  to  his  mind.  Having  done  this 
she  waited  for  an  answer. 

She  expected  one  on  the  following 
day,  or  rather  she  expected  Carrol 
himself. 

But  the  following  day  passed,  and 
neither  Carrol  nor  a  letter  came.  Nor 
did  one  come  from  Du  I'otiron. 

Maud  felt  more  despondent  than 
ever. 

The  next  day  passed,  and  no  answer 
came  from  either. 

This  deepened  Maud's  despondency. 

Then  came  the  third  day.  No  an- 
swer came.  Maud  began  to  feel  re- 
sentful. 

The  fourth  day  passed.  Still  not  a 
word  came.  I3y  this  time  Maud's  pride 
rose  up  in  rebellion  at  such  a  wrong. 
She  felt  sure  that  Carrol  was  in  the 
city,  that  he  had  received  her  letter 
and  refused  to  answer  it.  So  she  de- 
termined to  be  as  proud  as  he  was. 
And  this  task  she  did  not  find  a  diffi- 
cult one.  To  a  nature  like  hers  pride 
was  the  sure  antidote  to  wounded  af- 
fection. 

On  the  fifth  day  she  had  lost  all  lier 
despondency  and  sadness.  Her  pride 
sustained  her  fully,  and  a  bitter  mortifi- 
cation took  the  place  of  her  former  mel- 
ancholy. She  deeply  regretted  having 
written  any  explanation  whatever. 

On  the  sixth  day  they  left  Montreal 
for  New  York,  to  take  the  steamer  for 
Europe ;  and  as  she  took  her  departure, 
Maud's  c'  ief  feeling  was  one  of  deep 
self-contempt  and  profound  resentment 
against  her  false  lover. 

I  will  forget  him,  she  thought  to  her- 
self, as  utterly  as  though  he  had  never 
existed. 

VI. 

A  DUEL  IN  THE  DARK. 

At  length  the  party  reached  their 
destination. 

It  was  past  midnight.  There  was 
no  moon,  and  overhead  the  sky  was 


covered  with  clouds  thai  shut  out  even 
the  stars.  It  was  intensely  dark. 
Around  them  there  arose  a  grove  of 
trees,  through  which  the  night  wind 
sighed  gently  in  a  drear  and  mournful 
monotone.  Beneath  these  trees  the 
shadows  fell  darker,  and  the  old  house 
which  stood  near  them  was  enveloped 
in  a  deeper  gloom. 

The  house  stood  apart  from  the  road, 
and  from  all  other  habitations.  In  the 
distance  the  city  lay  still  and  .asleep. 
No  wagons  rolled  along  the  highway  ; 
no  familiar  noises  greeted  their  ears. 
The  silence  was  oppressive. 

The  seconds  had  brought  out  all  that 
might  be  needed,  and  among  other 
things  a  lantern.  This  Grimes  pro- 
ceeded to  light,  and  then  the  whole 
party  entered  the  old  house. 

The  front  door  was  gone,  as  has  been 
said.  Entering  this,  they  found  them- 
selves in  the  hall  from  which  a  stair- 
way went  up,  and  on  each  side  of  which 
were  rooms.  On  the  left  was  one  large 
room  extending  across  the  house,  while 
on  the  right  there  were  two  apartments. 
The  party  entered  the  large  room  on 
the  left.  Two  doorways  led  into  this 
apartment ;  the  one  in  the  rear  was 
closed  and  the  rusty  lock  still  secured 
it,  but  in  front  the  door  w.as  hanging  by 
one  hinge.  There  were  four  windows, 
two  in  front,  and  two  in  the  rear.  From 
all  of  these  the  glass  was  gone,  and  one 
of  them  had  no  sash  at  all.  This  one 
opened  out  on  the  rear  of  the  house. 
The  room  was  divided  by  an  archway 
in  the  middle,  in  which  there  was  an 
opening  for  sliding  doors,  but  these 
had  been  taken  away.  It  had  a  gen- 
eral air  of  the  most  forlorn  kind.  The 
paper  hung  loose  upon  the  walls  ;  the 
floor  was  damp,  and  rotten,  with  fun- 
gus growths  visible  along  the  surface  ; 
pl.aster  had  fallen  from  the  ceiling,  ly- 
ing in  heaps,  and  disclosing  the  laths 
above  ;  the  grates  were  gone,  and  in 
front  of  each  chimney  was  a  pile  of  soot. 

One  glance  was  sufficient  to  reveal 
all  this  and  to  show  this  room  in  its 
most  forbidding  aspect,  even  down  to 
trivial  details.  Carrol  stood  with  a 
rigid     stare.      Du     Potiron    glanced 


32 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


null 

IJI-llll 

II  III  mi 

i;i;if|i 

li,:iii  ilill: 


I  r  II' 


I  till 


I  ,1 


iHil 


III,  ■  I  II. 
I-:,  I  "I 


lllllilMII 

Ii  :  { 

iiin'iHr 


m 


1'   ■! 


around  with  fcvcrisli  haste,  and  a 
tremor  passed  throuj;!)  liis  frame.  He 
drew  his  second  olV  to  tlie  back  part  of 
tlic  room,  and  spoke  a  few  words  to 
him  in  a  low  voice.  Wliile  they  were 
speaking  Grimes  drew  Carrol  out  into 
the  hall. 

"  Several  small  details,"  said  Crimes, 
"  have  been  omitted  in  this  here  busi- 
ness, but  you  know  what  a  devil  of  a 
hurry  you  were  in.  llesides  we  could 
n't  bring  a  doctor,  for  the  first  thing 
requisite  is  secrecy.  Whoever  falls 
will  have  to  "put  it  through,  and  the 
other  fellow  '11  have  to  run  for  it  's 
quick  as  his  darned  legs  '11  carry  him. 
So  now  go  ahead,  my  son,  and  I  '11  just 
shake  hands  for  good  by." 

"  Ikit  you  won't  really  leave  a  fel- 
low," said  Carrol,  ruefully. 

"  Leave  you  ?  By  jingo  1  I  've  got 
to.  Why  look  at  me.  Think  of  the 
state  of  my  mind,  and  my  trunk.  O,  I 
must  go,  —  right  straight  o(T, —  in  a 
bee  line  for  some  place  or  other.  I  '11 
just  take  a  start,  and  where  I  pull  up 
circumstances  '11  have  to  decide.  I  'm 
sorry  I  'm  not  goin'  to  Californy,  or  I  'd 
ask  you  to  drop  in  if  you  ever  go  that 
way.  15ut  I  don't  know  where  I  '11  pull 
up,  I  don't  know  where  I  11  go,  th^^ 
South  Sea  Islands  p'aps,  to  civilize 
the  natives,  or  China  to  export  coo- 
lies, or  Central  Asia  to  travel  ;  or 
p'aps  up  North  to  hunt  up  the  North 
Pole.  It 's  all  the  same  to  me  anyhow. 
So  now,  good  by,  till  we  meet  to  part 
no  more." 

With  these  words  he  seized  Carrol's 
hand,  wrung  it  heartily,  and  then  went 
back  into  the  room.  Carrol  followed 
in  silence.  On  entering  it  again  it 
looked  worse  than  ever.  Du  Potiron 
was  still  talking,  and  he  gave  a  hurried 
start  as  the  others  entered. 

"You  won't  have  much  trouble 
with  that  Moosoo,"  whispered  Grimes. 
"  He  's  as  near  dead  now  as  can  be." 

"  Well,"  said  Carrol,  in  a  stifled  voice; 
"  make  haste." 

"  All  right,"  said  Grimes,  and,  calling 
the  other  second,  he  oflered  him  one 
of  two  pistols. 

"  You  see  they  did  n't  bring  their 


tools  to  America ;  and  as  I  happened 
to  have  a  pair,  I  ofTored  to  loan  them 
for  the  occasion.  You  need  n't  be  par- 
ticular, though,  about  returnin'  them. 
I  've  got  more." 

Du  I'otiron's  second  took  one  of  the 
pistols  with  a  bow,  and  gave  it  to  his 
l)rincipal.  Grimes  gave  the  other  to 
Carrol. 

After  this  Grimes  went  over  to  Du 
Potiron,  and  held  out  his  hand.  The 
Fren'  hman  took  if.  Whereupon  Grimes 
made  him  a  speech,  brief,  but  to  the' 
point,  in  French,  which,  as  he  himself 
said  with  honest  and  patriotic  pride, 
had  a  strong  Yankee  accent.  He  in- 
formed him  that  he  was  in  a  free  coun- 
try, and  in  the  society  of  free  men  ;  he 
exhorted  him  to  be  true  to  the  immor- 
tal principles  of  '76,  and  visit  Californy 
before  his  return  to  France.  After 
which  he  wrung  the  Frenchman's  hand 
hard,  and  left  him. 

Du  Potiron  gave  a  sickly  smile,  and 
bowed,  but  said  nothing. 

"  His  hand  's  damp  as  a  wet  rag, 
and  as  cold  as  a  corpse,"  whispered 
Grimes.  "  If  it  were  daylight  now 
he  'd  be  as  venomous  as  a  serpent, 
but  the  darkness  takes  away  all  his 
pison.  And  now,  my  son,  for  the  last 
time,  farewell  forever." 

With  these  words  Grimes  went  out, 
carrying  the  lantern.  Du  Potiron's 
second  followed. 

"We  will  shut  the  door  and  call  — 
one  —  two  —  three.  Then  you  may 
blaze  away  whenever  you  darn  like." 

There  was  no  answer. 

The  fallen  door  was  then  raised  to 
its  place,  and  shut,  hanging  by  one 
hinge,  and  by  the  latch  of  the  rusty 
lock.  All.  was  now  darkness  in  the 
room.  Some  time  was  taken  in  ad- 
justing the  door,  and  much  pulling  and 
pushing  and  hammering  and  pound- 
ing was  required  before  it  could  be 
properly  fixed.  The  banging  at  the 
door  echoed  dismally  through  Carrol's 
heart,  and  seemed  to  shake  the  whole 
house.  The  night  air  sighed  ;  the 
loose  paper  rustled ;  there  seemed 
footsteps  all  around  him.  He  thought 
Du  Potiron  was  stealing  toward  him 


>ll!il' 
■[■■I  1  ■ 


A  Comedy  of  Tcnvrs. 


33 


so  3s  to  be  within  reach  of  tlic  place 
where  he  was,  and  thus  l)e  able  to  lire 
at  once.  There  seemed  a  stealthy  foot- 
fail,  as  of  one  cautiously  advancing. 

Carrol  hastily  retreated  from  the 
middle  of  the  room  where  he  had  been 
standing,  and  moved  backwards  toward 
the  wall.  Once  he  stumbled  and  near- 
ly fell  over  a  heap  of  plaster,  but  re- 
covered himself.  Groping  with  his 
hands  he  found  the  partition  for  the 
sliding  doors,  and  cautiously  took  up  a 
position  in  the  angle  which  it  formed 
with  the  wall  of  the  front  room.  Here 
he  waited  in  feverish  .suspense,  with 
his  left  hand  stretched  forward,  his 
right  holding  forth  the  pistol,  and  his 
body  bent  in  a  wary,  anxious,  vigilant 
position,  while  his  eyes  strained  them- 
selves to  detect  through  that  gloom 
the  advancing  figure  of  his  enemy. 

But  now  the  noises  ceased,  the  door 
was  secured,  and  he  heard  the  voice  of 
Grimes. 

"  One  /  " 

A  pause. 

«'  7700.'" 

Another  pause. 

"THRFE!" 

After  this  there  came  the  shuffle  and 
tramp  of  footsteps  ;  and  the  footsteps 
retreated  from  the  house,  till  their 
sound  died  away  in  the  distance. 

Then  silence  remained. 

For  a  time  tlie  silence  was  utter, 
and  the  only  sound  distinguishable  by 
Carrol  was  the  strong  throb  of  his  own 
heart.  Other  than  this  there  was  not 
a  sound,  not  a  breath,  not  a  rustle. 
Eagerly  he  listened  and  anxiously  for 
a  renewal  of  that  stealthy  footfall  which 
might  announce  the  approach  of  his 
lurking  foe.  In  vain.  That  foe  now 
gave  no  sign.  Evidently  he  had  lost 
all  trace  of  Carrol's  position,  and  after 
moving  forward  he  had  been  battled  by 
Carrol's  retreat. 

He  stood  in  the  attitude  which  has 
been  described,  not  daring  to  move, 
rooted  to  the  spot,  with  every  muscle 
and  every  sinew  and  every  nerve  awake 
and  on  the  alert  to  guard  against  his 
hidden  foe  ;  and  stilling  even  his  own 
breathing,  lest  it  should  reveal  the  se- 


cret of  his  hiding-place.  A'.d  all  the 
time  he  watched  and  waitc.l  and  lis- 
tened for  some  sound  that  might  indi- 
cate the  approach  of  his  iiicmy.  Dut 
the  sound  came  not.  Why  should  it? 
Woultl  his  enemy  be  rash  enough  to 
attempt  to  move  further  amid  the  rub- 
bish that  lay  on  the  floor,  over  which 
it  was  not  possible  to  walk  without 
disclosing  one's  position  ?  His  enemy 
had  attempted  it  only  while  the  door' 
was  being  secured,  and  while  the  noise 
"attendant  upon  that  operation  might 
drown  the  lesser  noise  of  his  own  foot- 
steps. In  that  first  attempt  he  had 
evidently  been  baflled.  It  was  not  like- 
ly that  he  would  try  it  again. 

The  silence  at  length  was  broken  by 
the  gentle  sighing  of  the  wind.  It 
came  through  the  open  windows  ;  the 
loose  paper  on  the  walls  again  rustled 
and  rattled  as  it  swayed  to  and  fro  ; 
and  the  solemn  sound  of  the  wind  with- 
out, as  it  murmured  through  the  trees 
of  the  grove,  was  wafted  to  his  ears. 
Then  the  wind  grew  gradually  stronger  ; 
and  overhead  he  heard  long  moans  and 
sighs,  as  the  night  blast  passed  through 
the  halls  and  chambers  of  the  deserted 
house.  Coming  through  the  windows 
it  seemed  to  enter  as  if  in  search  of 
something  ;  and  in  that  search  to  pass 
through  every  room,  moaning  in  grief 
because  it  sought  what  it  could  not 
find  ;  and  then  wailing  out  its  long  lam- 
entation as  it  passed  away  in  despair. 
And  then  there  came  other  sounds  ; 
there  were  loose  doors  that  creaked, 
and  loose  window-sashes  that  rattled, 
and  the  combined  efTcct  of  these  was 
sometimes  such  that  it  conveyed  the 
idea  of  beings  wandering  overhead,  the 
patter  of  whose  footfalls  was  audible  on 
the  floor.  And  thus,  in  that  tension  of 
his  quickened  senses,  every  sound  be- 
came exaggerated  ;  and  the  aggrega- 
tion of  these  grew  at  length  to  such 
proportions,  that  the  reverberations  of 
long-continued  thunder  would  not  be 
more  manifest  to  the  ordinary  man 
than  were  these  accumulated  sounds  to 
him. 

To  his  eyes  also,  as  they  stared  into 
the  dark,  the  gloom  seemed  gradual- 


34 


//   Coinoiy  of  'I'invis. 


I  w 

|l  'I  I'll  I 

li  II  I' I 

!Mii  mil 


f  m: 


"  I  fill 
i!»  I  III 

iiiii'ir 


iiiit|:il| 

i»h|iilll 


i 

:l!N 


Ill ' 


'     1   .11 
'Jlihi'l" 


lliill 


ly  lo  l("-,srii,  ntui  llirrc  arose  visilili- 
;-l)iiij;s  wliii  li  ,iii|RMro<l  anil  tiisappcainl, 
till-  plianloms  of  ni>;Iil  wliicli  iliasnl 
«>iw  aiiiillici' at  TOSS  liis  in'rlmluul  vision. 
I'll  si  llii'ii"  c.inii'  llic  oiiliiiu-s  of  tlic 
windows  (;ia(in,illy  loss  inilistinci,  anil 
j;ii>\vin^;  !!>on-  ili'lincil  ;  while  heyonil 
(heir  bars  hiinj;  (lie  sky,  whose  loinier 
lilai  kness  seenieil  lesseninj;,  lill  on  (lie 
lioii/'on  whiih  was  visilile  lo  him  it 
« hani;('il  lo  a  ihill  j;ray  hue.  lUil  it 
was  only  ihron^h  Ihe  windows  Ih.il 
ini.ii-es  (iT  visilile  lhinj;s  eould  iiinie  lo 
his  eyes.  Within  the  room  was  noth- 
ing Iml  thit'k  tiai kness,  anil  the  o|i|io- 
.sitc  w.ill,  whose  loosened  ii.iper-h.inj;- 
in.i;s  insllcd  .il  the  nif;hl  blast,  eonld 
not  be  ilisi  eined. 

Now,  out  ol  all  this  state  of  thinj;s, 
in  whiiii  Ihe  e.us  were  ovei whehncil 
by  Ihe  ex,ij;f;eialion  of  minnle  .sounds, 
while  the  eyes  were  batlled  l)y  the 
im|ii'netr.d)lc  j^loum,  there  e.ime  npon 
liini  that  feeling  of  whieh  he  h.id 
ahe.nly  known  a  forel.isle.  a  (eelin); 
wliiih  was  the  sure  result  of  an  ima);i- 
nalioi\  ijuickcned  by  such  8urroundin);s 
as  these,  a  horror  of  (Jrc.it  D.irkness  ; 
and  al  Ihe  lourh  of  th.il  hoiror  his 
whole  bi'inj;  seemed  to  siid;  .iway. 
•Sim.-  ni.ileri.d  imai;es  no  lon>;er  s.itis- 
tieil  the  eravinjj;  of  his  eyes,  his  excited 
lanev  su|iiilied  olher  forms,  fashioned 
out  of  llie  sinlf  th.U  die.nns  .iic  made 
of.  '['he  enemy  for  whom  he  watched 
stood  before  hin)  in  ihoui'.iil,  with  venj;e- 
lul  I. ice.  cruel  smile,  and  levelled  pistol, 
le.idv  lo  ilc.d  his  doom,  while  luikin^ 
behind  the  loim  of  his  enemy  there  rose 
the  Sh.idow  of  De.uh.  llelore  Ih.il 
hoi  I  id  npp.iiilion  his  nerveless  hand 
seemed  lo  lose  control  ol  his  we.iiion  ; 
he  shr.ink  down,  and,  crouching;  low  to 
avoid  the  blow,  he  lell  upon  one  knee, 
llii'  'die  blow  did  not  l.dl,  .iiid  llie  noisi; 
wliii  h  .nose  Iroin  this  i  h.inj;c  of  |)osilion 
aw.iUened  no  response. 

Had  there  been  a  response,  h. id  Tiny 
answeiint;  noise  m.ide  known  lo  him 
the  neighborhood  ol  his  enemy,  il  would 
li.ive  been  a  consolation  ;  but  the  iitlcr 
silence  only  bewildered  C'.urol  all  the 
nioi(<,  adiliii);  to  his  constern.ition  and 
iiicrca.iing    lii.s    horror.      lli.H    excited 


im.i^;in,ilion  was  r.ipldlv  ovrrpoweriiiH; 
evciy  other  sense  .iiid  leeliii);.  I  le  loiiiid 
himself  now  no  lon>;er  in  possession 
ol  lh.it  lliiisl  for  vi'iij;e.ince  which  h,ul 
anim.iled  him.  I\evi'nj;e  ilsell,  ,i  p.is- 
siou  which  is  nsii.illy  consldcied  the 
strongest  of  all,  f.iinled,  and  l.iiled,  anil 
(lied  out  before  this  new  and  leiiilic 
(ecliiij;  wliirh  ii.id  l.ikeii  possession  of 
him.  His  b.illlcd  .iiul  despised  love, 
his  wionns,  iiis  insulin,  all  Ihe  things 
which  h.ul  fed  his  hale  and  niMnishcd 
his  revenj;e,  were  now  swept  aw.iy  into 
oblivion.  Ili^h  over  all  these  lowered 
u|)  that  ovcrniaslerinj'  horroi,  lo  whicli 
the  d.irkness  and  the  .Shadow  of  lie.itli 
h.ul  );iveii  birth.  Over  his  soul  llieio 
t  .line  .1  pili.ible  sense  of  utter  we.ikness, 
and  in  his  he. ill  there  arose  a  wild, 
mad  lon^jiii).;  lor  escijie,  an  impulse 
of  IliKhl,  a  feeling;  which  int;ed  him 
to  seek  some  refuse  from  the  tLin^-er 
unseen,  the  stron>;est  and  most  scllish 
of  .ill  human  insliiicts,  that  of  self- 
prcserv.ilion.  I'ul  in  the  midsl  of  Ihis, 
as  his  soul  thus  s.tiik  b.iik  williin  il- 
.sclf,  and  every  ordin.iry  passion  died 
out,  its  lerrilied  retreat  was  for  a  mo- 
ment arrested.  ily  a  nii>;hly  elfoit 
C.iirol  .Miminoii(<d  up  all  Ihe  piide  of 
his  m.iuhood.  lie  rec.illcd  his  thou>;hts, 
dispelled  his  fears,  and  tried  to  sweep 
aw.iy  the  );iini  ph.iuloms  which  h.ul 
alinosl  overpowered  him. 

I'or  a  time  the  horror  passed.  He 
I  chained  stnnc  of  his  self  cimlrol  and 
presence  of  mind.  He  looked  loilh 
iiili)  Ihe  (I. Ilk  more  c.ilmly.  He  won- 
deied  whether  Ihe  experience  of  his 
enemy  had  iieen  at  all  like  his.  He 
cni'sed  himself  for  his  we.ikness,  and 
tried  to  loilify  himself  .i^.iinst  a  recur- 
rence of  anything;  of  the  soi  I. 

He  looked  forward  into  the  d.ii  kness. 
It  was  as  intense  as  ever,  and  for  llie 
moment  w.is  less  oppressive  lni.iuse 
he  no  loii|;er  w.is  a  prey  lo  his  excited 
fancy.  I  )nrinK  thai  moment  he  had 
lime  to  think  over  his  siln.ilion. 

Where  w.is  his  enemy  i"  He  could 
not  tell.  There  was  not  a  sound.  He 
could  mil  be  near.  Doubtless  he  was 
in  the  b.ick  looin  somewhere  concealed, 
like  liinisclf,  and  like  himself  waiting 


/i   Coinciiy  (if  Tarors, 


35 


liM  some  !.l;;n.  He  rrincml.i'rod  lli.il 
lie  li.iil  .ill (M(ly  j;i veil  ;l  sillt'u  init  .si^ll 
dl  liiii  own  |iin.ilicin,  lull  |i,".  Ii.ips  Iiis 
rni'iiiy  mi  Mimlt'islnnd  il,  or  pcilLips  lie 
w.r;  w.iilin^  In  m.iKc  ;iMsiir,>iU(;  iliiiihly 
Mill',  ,'.(1  .IS  mil  li>  lliifiw  .iw.iy  Ills  sluil 
.mil  iciidri  liilliscir  ilclciicc'lcs.M.  ( )|i(! 
Iliiii};  w.i.s  cviiU'iil,  ;iiul  lli.il  w.is  lli.il 
liit  enemy  nitisl  Ii.ive  tin-  .iilv.iiil.i>;c 
dviT  him.  'rii.il  enemy  nillsV  luivo 
.Mime  iile.i  ol  liis  |ii)si(i(in,  Inil  lie  liim- 
.seir  li.iil  no  iile.i  wli.llevei  iil  (lie  |iiisi- 
limi  III  liit  enemv.  lie  imilil  mil  im- 
.ii;iiu-  in  wli.il  [HI  I  111  I  lie  1 1  mm  lie  mi);lit 
lie.  lie  Knew  mil  lYnm  wli.il  (ni.nler 
111  ex|iei  I  ,111  .ill.ii  k,  iir  wliere  In  lie  on 
liis  );u.inl.     And  litiw  lon^;  was  liii.s  U) 

i.isi  r 

.\lie.idy  lie  fell  llie  lime  In  lie  |im- 
Iiiii^eil  1(1  ,111  inlnler.ilile  dei;ree,  ,Siuli 
li.id  lieen  Ids  snlVerinf^s,  lli.il  il  seemed 
til  lie  liuiirs  since  the  fonlsleiis  nl'  the 
de|i,vrliM^  IViends  li.id  died  aw.iy  in  the 
iii>;hl.  It  mif;lil  li.ive  been  (inly  mill 
litis,  lull  il  so,  il  showed  him  how  il 
w.i'i  possilile  lor  a  whole  nijdil  under 
llir-.e  I  ill  iinr.l.im  es  to  leniMheii  itself 
out  111  .111  iiilinily.  Sm  h  .t  |iios|ieel 
w.is  lil.ulv  indeed.  <  luilil  lie  endiiio 
il  ?     'I'lie  very  tlionghl  w.is  inloleialilc. 

Althoiij'Ji  for  th(>  moment  tho  lioiTDr 
li.id  jiissed  .iw.iv,  yet  C.iriol  li.id  now 
no  iiMilideiu  ('  in  himself,  .mil  no  .isMir- 
.line  , I!;. dust  its  lelmii.  (uiild  helie.ir 
il  :'  dr  il  lie  '.hnnld  meet  il,  ,nid  m.is- 
li'i  il  oiii  e  mole,  how  m.my  times  i  oiild 
he  repe.il  the  |iriiecsH  in  the  tomse  of 
the  iiijdit  i'  One  more  sin  li  rx|ieriem(" 
w.e;  leiiilile;  in. my  more  would  lui 
woise  th.in  death.  K.ilhii  ill. in  e,iiiy 
(HI  siirll  a  slriii;L',le,  he  would  iiieel  hii 
cneiiiv,  .mil  iiish  iiiioil  his  we.nion. 
Heller  iiist.inl  de.ilh  Ih.in  an  iinlimiled 
ie|ielilion  of  sinh  sli.ime  .iiid  ,iiir,iii:>li. 
II  his  enemy  were  only  less  w.iry,  tlieie 
niij'.hl  lie  Mime  rli.ime,  lint  as  il  w.is, 
lli.il  enemy  lay  nincealed,  (roiiehin); 
low,  w.ili  hfiil,  patient,  and  liidim;  his 
lime.  And  doiililless  lli.it  enemy  would 
lie  ((ime.iled  tlin.s,  with  iinirinilliiij; 
vi);il,im'e,  iiiilil  Ik;  could  y^.\\\\  his  dc- 
Nlres.  In  comp.nison  with  such  an 
cneiny,  (.'airol  felt  himself  In  lie  we.ik 
iliilccil.     IIuw   iiuicli  idiigcr  cuuld   he 


endure  this  ?  Cert.dnly  for  no  f;reat 
Ieni;tli  of  lime.  Hut  his  rneniy  niinlil 
lie  pi ep. lied  or  even  resolved  to  m.iin 
t.litl  his  p.ttieni  w.llch  until  the  d.nvn  ot 
d.iy,  when  he  mi),',lil  hive  the  i;.ime  in 
his  own  h.iiids.  Hut  could  he  w.iil  till 
then  :'      He  lelt  Ih.il  he  conld  not. 

I'.ven  while  medil.ilim',  thus,  ( '.irrol 
lieijan  to  feci  the  pressure  of  the  old 
lioiror.  If  W.IS  once  more  reluriiini',. 
The  hour  .iiid  the  occ.ision  ;  the  d.iiK 
ness  .111(1  the  ;di.ido>v  of  Pe.ilh  .ill 
once  more  lieramc  manifest.  I  le  slnij;- 
)',led  ai;.iinsl  his  feelings  ;  lie  S(iiij;hl 
to  ( ,d'  up  his  rouraj'r,  to  lorlily  Ih.il 
coui.iL',e  liy  pride.  The  struijjde  within 
him  liei. line  an  .ijmiiiv.  (>vei  him  de 
Hcrnded  the  honor,  while  he  loui;lil 
with  il,  .mil  tried  liy  means  ol  reason 
and  m.iiihood  .mil  piide,  to  arrest  its 
descent.  In  the  midsl  (if  this  drrail 
coiitesl  .1  sound  aiiise.  1 1  camo  Ironi 
the  side  of  the  room  immedi.itelv  op- 
posite. It  W.IS  .1  sound  of  tr.iiiiplinj; 
and  ( riishinjr. 

In  .III  inst.inl  ( ".irrors  mind  li.id  de- 
tided  wli.il  it  W.IS  .md  wli.it  he  shoiihi 
do.  At  List  the  moment  h.iil  come. 
The  enemy  II. id  liiMr.iyed  himself,  lie 
pulled  the  lrij;};er  of  his  onlstrelchetl 
pislol. 

The  icpoil  sounded  like  a  pe.il  of 
Ihimder  in  his  sh,ii|iened  .md  e\iileil 
sense  of  healing.  There  w.is  .i  rush 
and  a  l.dl  of  soinethiii>;. 

Then  .ill  W.IS  ••till. 

('.11  ml  sl.iiled  lip,  Iremlillnj;  from 
he. Ill  111  loot,  while  the  swe.it  st.vrled 
in  j;re.ii  drops  to  his  lirow.  l''or  a  few 
moiiienls  he  w.iiied  in  v.iiMie  cNpecta- 
lioii  of  .III  aic.weiiii!',  shot,  wilh  his 
lil.liii  leelitii',  ill  .llitii  ip.ilioil  ol  his 
doom,  jliit  the  doom  w.is  del.ivcd, 
and  the  res|ionse  c.iiiie  not,  and  no 
liidilniiif;  ll.ish  liiiist  forth  a,i',.iin  into 
the  d.iiKness,  and  no  lliunderous  rr- 
poil  .^;,iiu  liiiiltc  Ihe  stillness  of  tho 
iii^;lil. 

"  Are  you  hit  ?  "  he  cried,  ill  il  liOiUHC 
voice. 

There  was  no  reply. 

"  1)11  roiiioii  I  "  he  crieil  again  in  ti 
yet  ho. user  voice. 

hliU  there  w.iH  no  reply. 


I'  (I'lH! 


jiil, 

IIMII     ' 

'Ml  m  I 

Ill     ; 

iH  III  fill:  I 

i'MlMl" 


ll!'' 
(I  ill' ill 


II  iMli 


iiii!ii:il!|l 
■'iiiii'iii ' 


;t; 


f 


,;Hh, 


ll  III 

1  ■    '      ''1 

36 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


"  O  my  God  ! "  groaned  Carrol.  "  I 
've  killed  him  !  He  's  dead  !  I  'm  a 
murderer.     O  my  God !  " 

For  a  moment  there  arose  a  faint 
desire  to  go  over  to  his  victim,  and 
examine  him.  But  it  was  only  for  a 
moment.  The  next  instant  all  desire, 
all  thought  of  such  a  thing  passed 
away. 

For  then,  sudden,  and  sharp,  and 
terrific,  and  unspeakable,  there  de- 
scended upon  him  the  full  power  of  the 
horror  against  which  he  had  been  strug- 
gling ;  bringing  with  it  the  abhorrent 
thought  that  the  Dead  was  here.  —  the 
Dead,  his  own  victim.  And  the  thought 
was  intolerable. 

Chilled  to  the  very  marrow,  and  with 
that  horror  now  supreme  in  his  soul, 
Carrol  dropped  Jhe  pistol  from  his  nerve- 
less hand,  and  sprang  to  the  door.  He 
tore  it  down,  he  burst  through  into  the 
hall  and  leaped  forth  out  of  the  house. 
He  fled  like  a  madman,  with  a  fright- 
ful feeling  that  his  victim  was  following 
close  behind. 

Such  was  the  horror  that  over- 
whelmed him,  that  for  some  time  he 
fled  blindly,  not  knowing  in  which  di- 
rection he  was  going.  Of  one  thinf; 
alone  he  was  conscious,  and  that  w  is 
the  overmastering  feeling  that  had 
taken  possession  of  him ;  a  hideous 
sense  of  being  pursued,  and  a  fear  of 
being  overtaken.  The  nightmare,  Life- 
in-Death,  which  thickens  man's  blood 
with  cold,  had  been  revealed  to  him 
within  that  gloomy  house,  and  it  was 
from  this  that  he  fled,  and  it  was  this 
that  pursued. 

At  last  lights  flashed  about  him. 
He  was  in  broad  streets,  whose  lamps 
extended  on  either  side  far  away  be- 
fore him.  The  siglit  of  these  at  once 
brought  relief  and  dispelled  his  panic  ; 
and  the  long  lines  of  twinkling  lights, 
together  with  the  commonplace  figure 
of  a  policeman  steadily  pacing  the 
sidewalk  not  far  away,  brought  him 
down  suddenly  from  the  wild  flight  of 
morbid  fancy  to  hard  prosaic  fact.  He 
slackened  his  pace  to  a  slow  walk,  and 
wandered  onward,  thinking  over  his 
situation. 


Fancy  had  departed,  and  simple  F.ict 
alone  remained  ;  yet  now  this  sinii)k' 
Fact  that  confronted  him  seemed  not 
much  less  terrible  than  the  wild  \'ision 
which  had  lately  pursued  him. 

And  the  fact  was  simply  this,  lie 
was  a  murderer ! 

Under  these  circumstances  one 
course  only  remained  for  him,  and  tliat 
was  instant  and  immediate  flight. 


VII. 

A  BAFFLED   FLIGHT. 

Carrol  fled  from  Montreal  in  dis- 
guise, and  concealed  himself  for  some 
days  in  New  York.  Even  here,  how- 
ever, he  did  not  feel  safe  from  the 
consequences  of  his  crime,  and  so  he 
resolved  to  fly  to  Europe.  After  some 
consideration,  he  decided  to  take  the 
steamer  to  Havre,  and  go  to  Paris  first. 
On  the  day  for  her  departure  he  went 
on  board  at  an  early  hour,  and  shut 
himself  up  in  his  state-room,  waiting 
for  the  vessel  to  start.  Here  he  re- 
mained for  hours,  listening  to  tlie 
noises  around  him,  and  peering  stealth- 
ily through  the  glass  to  watch  the 
movements  on  the  wharf,  while  all  the 
time  he  was  tormented  by  an  agoniz- 
ing dread  of  arrest.    • 

But  the  long-delayed  moment  of  de- 
parture came  at  last.  The  lines  were 
cast  off,  and  the  steamer,  leaving  the 
wharf,  moved  on  down  the  harbor. 
Then  Carrol  ventured  forth,  and  went 
up  on  deck. 

Just  as  his  foot  touched  the  deck,  he 
found  himself  face  to  face  with  a  pas- 
senger who  was  on  his  way  to  the 
cabin.  The  passenger  stopped  short, 
and  so  did  Carrol,  and  the  two  gazed  at 
each  other  with  unutterable  surprise. 

"  Carrol !  by  Jingo  !  " 

"  Grimes  !     Good  Lord  !  " 

At  such  an  utterly  unexpected  meet- 
ing, it  is  difficult  to  say  which  of  these 
two  felt  the  greater  astonishment.  The 
peculiar  circumstances  under  which 
they  had  parted  made  a  future  meeting 
seem  among  the  remotest  of  possibil- 
ities for  many  a  long  day.    Grimes  had 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


37 


iple  Fact 
s  simple 
nicd  not 
Id  Visiim 

this,   lie 

ces  one 
and  that 
ht. 


;he  deck,  he 
with  a  pas- 
way  to  the 
ipped  short, 
two  gazed  at 
e  surprise. 

! " 

pectcd  mect- 
lich  of  these 
hment.  The 
under  which 
iture  meeting 
t  of  possibil- 
Grimes  had 


characterized  it  as  an  eternal  farewell, 
and  Carrol,  in  all  his  thoughts  of  the 
possible  acquaintances  whom  he  might 
encounter,  had  never  dreamed  of  this 
one.  Yet  this  one  was  actually  the 
only  one  whom  thus  far  he  had  met ; 
and  he  found  him  in  the  very  place 
where  he  had  not  expected  to  meet 
any  acquaintance  at  all.  He  had 
hoped  that  his  parting  from  the  shore 
would  rid  him  of  everything  connected 
with  the  most  terrible  event  of  his  life; 
yet  here,  the  moment  that  he  ventured 
to  emerge  from  his  hiding-place,  he 
found  himself  confronted  by  the  very 
man  who  was  most  closely  connected 
with  that  event ;  not  merely  one  who 
was  acquainted  with  it,  but  its  very 
prompter  and  instigator.  Yet  in  Car- 
rol's mind  the  meeting  caused  pleasure 
rather  than  pain.  He  had  been  alone 
so  long,  brooding  in  secret  over  his 
troubles,  that  the  sight  of  one  whom  he 
could  trust  was  inexpressibly  soothing ; 
and  he  wrung  Grimes's  big  hand  as  he 
had  never  before  wrung  the  hand  of 
any  man. 

"Wal,"  cried  Grimes,  "of  all  the 
events  that  have  ever  occurred,  this 
strikes  me  as  about  a  little  the  darn'd- 
est  that  I  can  think  of;  I  declare,  if  it 
ain't  the  cur'ousest  coincidence  —  !  " 

And  Grimes  paused,  fairly  over- 
whelmed. 

"  I  took  this  steamer,"  said  Carrol, 
hurriedly,  "  because  it  happened  to  be 
the  first  one  that  was  leaving." 

"  Wal,  for  that  matter,  so  did  I  ;  but 
who  'd  have  thought  of  you  goin'  to 
Europe  ? " 

Carrol's  face,  which  for  a  moment 
had  lighted  up  with  a  flush  of  pleasing 
excitement,  now  grew  dark  again,  and 
the  sombre  cloud  that  had  hung  over 
it  ever  since  that  night  of  horror  once 
more  overspread  it. 

"  I  've  come,"  said  he,  with  some 
hesitation,  "because  Europe  —  seemed 
to  me  the  —  the  best  place  that  I  could 
go  to." 

"  W.al,  so  did  I,"  said  Grimes  ;  "  es- 
pecially France.  That's  the  country 
for  me.  I  've  thought  all  the  world 
over,  and  decided  on  that  one  spot." 


"  When  did  you  leave  Montreal  ? " 
asked  Carrol,  after  a  pause. 

"  Why,  the  very  mornin'  after  I  left 
you." 

"  The  morning  after  ?  Why,  I  left 
then." 

"  You  did  ?         <at  train  ? " 

"  The  first  one.'' 

"  Why,  that 's  the  very  train  I  trav- 
elled in." 

"  Was  it  ? "  asked  Carrol,  drearily. 

"  Yes,  it  was,  and  I  can't  understand 
why  I  did  n't  see  you." 

"  Very  strange,"  said  Carrol,  in  a  low 
voice,  raising  at  the  same  time  his 
white  face,  and  glancing  furtively 
around. 

"  Wal,  it 's  darned  queer,  too,"  said 
Grimes  ;  "  and  I  've  been  in  York  ever 
since.    Have  you  ? " 

"  Well  —  yes  —  that  is  —  I  've  had 
some  —  some  business  —  you  know," 
said  Carrol,  in  a  confused  way. 
.  There  was  something  in  Carrol's 
manner  that  struck  Grimes.  Thus  far 
he  had  been  too  much  occupied  with 
the  surprise  of  this  unexpected  meet- 
ing ;  but  now  that  the  first  surprise 
was  over,  he  was  open  to  other  feel- 
ings ;  and  the  first  feeling  that  came  to 
him  was  simply  a  repetition  of  the 
former  emotion  of  surprise,  suggested, 
however,  by  a  different  cause.  His 
attention  was  now  arrested  by  the 
change  in  the  tone,  manner,  and  ap- 
pearance of  Carrol ;  and  he  looked  at 
him  earnestly,  searchingly,  and  won- 
deringly.  He  saw  a  face  of  extreme 
paleness,  which  already  bore  marks  of 
emaciation  and  of  suffering.  His  hair, 
as  it  straggled  from  beneath  his  hat, 
did  not  seem  to  have  been  brushed ; 
his  mustache  was  loose  and  r.igged ; 
there  was  a  certain  furtive  watchful- 
ness in  his  eyes,  and  a  haunted  look  in 
his  face,  that  gave  to  him  an  appear- 
ance totally  different  from  that  which 
had  characterized  him  in  the  old  easy 
days  of  yore.  All  this  was  taken  in 
by  Grimes  at  one  glance. 

The  result  of  this  one  glance  was 
very  marked  in  Grimes  himself.  A 
change  came  over  him  in  an  instant, 
which  was  as  marked  in  its  way  as  the 


(IfY 


38 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


ii  I'  III 


III! 

1'! 

lil'll 

1  * 

'■'HI' 

' 

<lll<ll 

1  '> 

1  illiNi 

1  1. 

HI  III 
M.l  III 

II 

I'JIi  mil; » 


ll'll'  .! 

.1  ir  n 


'   ■", 
I  lU 

I    llllr 


"III'  Ml 
III!  I'll  III 

■'i|iiiiii; 
liiiti'iii 

lijj 

ml  I 

'I  III 
I 


iill 


I'l.ri 
'ii' 


I'Mii 


change  that  had  come  over  Carrol. 
The  broad  content,  the  loose  insoii- 
ciaiia\  and  the  careless  bonJiomniie  of 
his  face  were  succeeded  by  an  expres- 
sion of  deep  concern,  of  anxiety,  of 
sometiiing,  in  fact,  that  looked  like 
self-reproach,  and  seemed  to  verge 
upon  that  remorse  which  was  stamped 
upon  the  face  of  his  friend.  His  teeth 
compressed  themselves,  he  frowned, 
and  the  trouble  of  his  soul  could  not 
be  concealed. 

"  What 's  the  matter  ? "  asked  Car- 
rol.    "  Why  do  you  look  so  ?  " 

"  Why,  man,  it 's  you  that  looks  so, 
as  you  say.  What 's  the  matter  with 
you  ? "  said  Grimes,  in  a  hesitating 
voice.  "  You  look  as  if  you  'd  seen  a 
ghost." 

Carrol  shuddered. 

"  What  has  happened  ?  "  asked 
Grimes,  anxiously.  "  How  did  it  end  ? 
Is  tills  what  sent  you  away  ?  " 

Carrol  looked  wildly  around,  and 
then  said  in  a  hurried  voice,  "  Hush  ! 
Come  away  from  here.  Come  down  to 
my  state-room.  I  '11  tell  you  all  about 
it." 

A  terrible  secret  borne  in  one's  own 
heart  will  always  bear  down  that  heart 
by  its  weight ;  and  it  was  this  tliat 
Carrol  had  endured.  The  meeting 
with  his  old  friend  had  been  instinc- 
tively welcomed  ;  and  now  that  he  had 
him  alone,  he  availed  himself  eagerly 
of  that  precious  and  sootiiing  relief 
which  is  always  found  when  the  dread 
secret  can  be  revealed  safely  to  one 
who  is  trusted.  And  so,  in  the  seclu- 
sion of  his  state-room,  he  told  Grimes 
his  story,  omitting  those  unnecessary 
particulars  about  his  own  superstitious 
fancies,  and  confining  himself  simply 
to  what  he  considered  the  facts  of  the 
case. 

To  all  this  sad  confession  Grimes 
listened  with  a  strange  and  a  disturbed 
countenance.  There  was  in  his  face 
true  sympathy  and  profound  compas- 
sion ;  but  there  was  something  more. 
There  was  perplexity  and  bewilder- 
ment. Evidently  there  was  something 
in  the  story  which  he  did  not  compre- 
hend, and  could  not.      He  felt  puz- 


some 
asked 

What 


zled.  He  looked  so ;  and  as  Carrol 
approached  the  crisis  of  his  story,  he 
interrupted  him  with  frequent  ques- 
tions. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say,"  he  asked,  as 
Carrol  ended,  "  that  you  really  believe 
you  killed  him  ?" 

"  Have  n't  I  told  you  that  ? "  groaned 
Carrol. 

"  But  —  but  —  is  n't  there 
darned  mistake  about  it  all  ?  " 
Grimes. 

"  Mistake  !  O  heavens  ! 
would  n't  I  give  if  I  could  only  hope 
that  there  might  have  been  !  I5ut  that 
is  impossible.  O  no  !  There  is  always 
ringing  in  my  ears  that  horrible  rush- 
ing sound  of  his  fall." 

"  But  it  may  have  been  something 
else." 

"  Something  else  !  "  repeated  Carrol, 
in  a  despairing  tone.  "  O  no ;  my 
senses  could  not  have  deceived  me  !  " 

"Now,  look  here,"  cried  Grimes, 
with  a  certain  sort  of  feverish  impa- 
tience, "did  you  sec  him.'"' 

"  See  him  ?  What  nonsense  !  How 
could  I  ? " 

"  The  flash  of  the  pistol  would  show 
him." 

"  Flash  of  the  pistol !  I  tell  you  my 
brain  was  full  of  a  thousand  images, 
and  every  one  of  them  represented 
him." 

"  Had  you  been  drinking  much  tliat 
day  ?  asked  Grimes,  after  a  thought- 
ful pause. 

"  Yes  ;  of  course 
supposed  that." 

"  Very  much  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

Grimes  paused  again. 

"  Did  n't  you  go  over,"  he  asked,  "  to 
find  out  whether  it  was  him  or  not ; 
to  assure  yourself  of  the  fact,  you 
know?     Didn't  you  touch  him?" 

"Touch  him!"  cried  Carrol,  in  a 
voice  of  horror.  "  What !  Touch  him  / 
Good  heavens ! " 

"Wal,"  said  Grimes,  "you  really 
don't  know  this." 

"  As  sure  as  there  is  a  heaven  above 
us,  I  do  know  it,"  said  Carrol. 

Grimes  said  no  more.     He  leaned 


You  might  have 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


39 


IS  Carrol 
story,  he 
;nt    ques- 

asked,  as 
ly  believe 

groaned 

re  some 
?"    asked 

What 

0!ily  hope 

I5ut  that 

is  always 

ible  rush- 


something 


ted  Carrol, 
)  no  ;  my 
ved  me  ! " 
d  Grimes, 
rish  impa- 

nse  !    How 

would  show 


tell  you  my 
md  images, 
represented 


;  much  that 
a  thought- 


might  have 


e  asked, "  to 
lim  or  not ; 
e   fact,   you 

him?" 
larrol,   in   a 
Touch  him  ! 

"you   really 

eaven  above 
rol. 
He  leaned 


\ 


J 

I 


forward,  and  buried  his  face  in  his 
hands.  Carrol  reclined  back  against 
the  wall  of  the  state-room,  and  gave 
himself  up  to  the  terrible  memories 
which  had  been  once  more  aroused  by 
his  narration.  At  last  he  gave  a  heavy 
sigh,  and  started  to  his  feet. 

"  Come,"  he  said,  "  I  can't  stand 
this.  Let 's  go  out.  I  'm  suffocating. 
Come  out  on  deck.  I  must  have  some 
fresh  air.     Come." 

Grimes  rose  to  his  feet  without  a 
word,  and  followed  Carrol  as  he  led 
the  way.  On  his  face  there  was  the 
same  expression  of  anxiety  and  bewil- 
derment which  has  already  been  men- 
tioned. In  this  mood  he  followed  Car- 
rol to  the  upper  deck. 

"  Come,"  said  Carrol,  "  let 's  go  aft. 
There  are  fewer  people  there,  and  we'  11 
be  more  by  ourselves." 

He  led  the  way  aft,  and  Grimes  fol- 
lowed. 

As  they  approached  the  stern,  they 
saw  two  ladies  sitting  there  whose 
backs  were  turned  towards  them.  The 
ladies  were  gazing  in  silence  at  the 
receding  shores,  and  Carrol  drew 
Grimes  to  a  place  on  the  side  of  the 
steamer  which  was  about  a  dozen  yards 
away.  Standing  there,  the  two  friends 
instinctively  turned  their  eyes  toward 
the  land  behind  them,  and  looked  at 
it  in  an  abstracted  way  ;  for  each  one 
was  so  absorbed  by  his  own  thoughts, 
that  his  gaze  was  fixed  rather  upon 
vacancy  than  upon  any  definite  object. 

At  length,  one  of  the  ladies  said 
something  to  the  other,  after  which 
tliey  both  rose,  and  turned  as  if  with 
tlie  intention  of  leaving  tlie  place.  As 
they  turned,  their  eyes  wandered  about 
and  finally  rested  for  an  instant  upon 
Grimes  and  his  companion. 

It  was  only  for  an  instant  that  their 
glance  fell  upon  these  two  men,  but 
that  instant  was  enough  to  allow  of  a 
profound  sensation.  The  deep  rich 
complexion  of  one  of  the  ladies  grew 
deeper  and  richer,  as  a  flush  passed 
over  all  her  beautiful  face  ;  while  at 
the  same  time  that  beautiful  face  as- 
sumed an  expression  of  astonishment, 
embarrassment,   and    almost    dismay. 


that  was  very  much  in  contrast  with 
its  former  air  of  good-natured  content. 
For  a  moment  she  hesitated  in  her 
confusion,  and  then  bowed.  The  other 
lady  showed  equal  feeling,  but  of  a 
totally  different  kind.  Her  face  was 
very  pale  and  very  sad  ;  and  as  she 
saw  the  two  friends,  a  flush  passed 
over  it,  which  was  followed  by  a  mourn- 
ful, earnest  look  of  mute  inquiry  and 
wonder. 

Grimes  looked  amazed,  but  took  off 
his  hat  and  bowed  ;  after  which  he 
hesitated,  and  seemed  on  the  point  of 
approaching  tlie  ladies.  But  he  looked 
around  for  a  moment  to  see  Carrol. 
Carrol,  on  his  part,  had  seen  the  ladies, 
and  certainly  his  amazement  was  fully 
equal  to  that  which  was  felt  by  any 
of  the  others.  Already  he  had  expe- 
rienced one  surprise  at  meeting  with 
Grimes.  This  meeting  was  a  much 
greater  shock,  for  he  had  not  the 
faintest  idea  that  Mrs.  Lovell  and 
Miss  Heathcote  had  contemplated 
leaving  Montreal.  But  the  sight  of 
Miss  Heathcote's  face,  after  the  first 
surprise,  only  served  to  deepen  the 
darkness  that  had  closed  around  his 
soul.  For  a  moment  he  regarded  her 
with  a  hard,  cold  stare  of  wonder  ;  and 
then,  without  a  word,  without  a  sign, 
he  turned  abruptly  and  walked  away. 
As  Grimes  looked  around  after  his 
friend,  he  saw  him  thus  walking  off; 
for  a  moment  he  hesitated,  and  then, 
with  another  bow  to  the  ladies,  he 
walked  off  after  him. 


VIII. 

AT  HIS  MERCY. 

Mrs.  Lovell  and  her  sister  stood 
for  some  moments  in  silence,  with  tlieir 
eyes  fixed  upon  the  retreating  figures 
of  these  two  men,  and  varying  feelings 
animated  them  at  this  sudden  and 
unexpected  meeting.  Mrs.  Lovell  at 
length  flung  herself  impatiently  into 
a  seat  and  patted  the  deck  with  her 
little  foot ;  while  Maud  stood  like  a 
statue,  erect,  rigid,  with  every  trace  of 
color  gone  from  her  face. 


40 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


'ill.  II 
t'li' 

fill: 

Hi  1:1 
MM 


1 '111 

Ml! 
1^  ■ ; 


\u  i|i|i;  'I 

lilfil;'" 
'..iiJl: 


I'lif 


n 


m 

II 

111 

li 


"  Have  you  your  salts,  Maudie  clear- 
est ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Lovell,  at  length. 

Maud  did  not  seem  to  hear  her,  for 
she  made  no  reply. 

Mrs.  Lovell  repeated  the  question. 

"  No,"  said  Maud,  abruptly. 

Mrs.  Lovell  heaved  a  deep  sigh. 

"  I  'm  sure,"  said  she,  "  I  '11  never 
get  over  this  ;  but,  at  any  rate,  we  may 
as  well  carry  out  our  intention  of  going 
I  below.  We  're  safer  there,  you  know, 
]  RLiudie.  And  who'd  have  thought  it ! 
Who  would  have  thought  it !  O  dear  ! 
of  all  the  strange  and  unfortunate  coin- 
cidences !  O  dear  me,  Maudie  dear- 
est, what  shall  I  do  !  " 

To  this  appeal,  which  was  uttered  in 
quite  a  heart-rending  tone,  Maud  made 
no  reply.  Indeed,  she  did  not  seem  to 
have  heard  it.  She  stood  as  statu- 
esque as  before,  with  her  face  turned 
toward  the  retreating  form  of  Carrol. 
She  watched  him  till  he  was  out  of 
sight,  and  even  after  he  was  lost  to 
her  view  she  stood  looking  in  that 
direction. 

"  IVIaudie,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell,  at  last, 
in  as  impatient  a  tone  as  was  possible 
for  her  to  use. 

Maud  sighed. 

"  Well,"  said  she,  turning  around,  and 
looking  at  her  sister  in  an  absent  way. 

"  O  Maudie  darling,  what  in  the 
world  atii  I  ever  to  do  / "  said  Mrs. 
Lovell,  mournfully. 

"  I  suppose,"  said  Maud,  in  a  delib- 
erate voice,  "  we  may  as  well  go  below, 
as  we  first  proposed." 

"  You  are  so  awfully  cold  and  un- 
sympathetic," said  Mrs.  Lovell,  in  a 
reproachful  tone. 

Maud  said  nothing. 

Mrs.  Lovell,  thereupon,  rose  to  her 
feet,  and  stood  for  a  moment  looking 
forward  along  the  line  of  retreat  of 
Grimes  and  Carrol,  with  an  expression 
of  refined  and  ladylike  despair  that  was 
uncommonly  becoming  to  her. 

"  Well,"  said  she,  with  a  sigh,  "  I 
see  no  signs  of  them  now  ;  I  dare  say 
they  will  have  the  good  taste  to  keep 
out  of  the  way  for  the  present ;  and  so, 
IVIaudie,  I  think  we  had  better  go  be- 
low at  once." 


"  Very  well,"  said  Maud,  in  a  low 
voice  ;  and  thereupon,  the  two  ladies 
sought  the  seclusion  of  their  state- 
room, which  they  reached  without 
again  encountering  the  two  gentlemen. 

Here  a  long  silence  followed,  wliich 
was  at  length  broken  by  Mrs.  Lovell. 

"  O  dear !  "  she  said,  with  a  little 
sigh.  "  He  has  tracked  me  after  all, 
and  how  he  ever  managed  to  do  it  is 
more  than  I  can  tell,  I  'm  sure.  And 
the  worst  of  it  is,  it  was  the  very  thing 
I  was  afraid  of.  You  remember,  Mau- 
die dear,  I  proposed  at  first  to  take  a 
Cunard  steamer  to  Liverpool.  And 
you  remember  that  I  changed  my  mind 
and  took  this  one.  You  know  I  told 
you  that  I  changed  my  mind  because 
I  preferred  going  to  France  direct. 
Well,  you  know,  Maudie  darling,  it  was 
nothing  of  the  kind.  That  was  n't  my 
reason  at  all,  you  know." 

"  What  was  it  ?  "  asked  Maud. 

"  Why,  you  know,  I  really  was  quite 
frightened  at  the  idea  that  Mr.  Grimes 
might  manage  to  find  out  how  I  had 
gone.  I  felt  sure  that  he  would  follow 
me.  He 's  one  of  those  dreadful  men 
of  one  idea,  you  know  ;  and  I  know  that 
I  'm  the  only  idea  he  has  in  his  poor  old 
head.  Well,  I  was  so  dreadfully  fright- 
ened at  the  idea  of  his  following  me, 
that  I  changed  my  plans  and  took  this 
steamer.  I  thought  it  was  a  very  lucky 
thing,  and  I  felt  quite  sure,  you  know, 
that  he  would  n't  find  me  at  all.  If  he 
attempted  to  follow  me  he  would  be 
carried  to  Liverpool,*and  I  would  go  to 
Havre,  and  I  knew  that  he  could  never 
track  me  from  one  place  to  the  other. 
He  would  have  to  go  all  the  way  back 
to  America,  you  know,  before  he  could 
gain  the  slightest  clew  to  my  pro- 
ceedings ;  and  even  then  it  would 
have  been  very,  very  hard.  But,  O 
dear  !  how  foohshly  sanguine  I  was ! 
I  come  here.  I  embark.  I  am  just 
leaving  the  shore,  and  thinking  with  a 
kind  of  pity  about  the  poor  fellow,  — 
who  really  has  no  end  of  claims  to  my 
esteem,  —  when  suddenly  I  turn  round, 
and  as  I  live  !  there  he  is,  standing  just 
before  me.  I  declare  to  you,  Maudie 
darling,  it  was  a  perfect  wonder  that  I 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors, 


41 


did  n't  drop  down  senseless.  I  'm  sure, 
my  heart  never  beat  so  fast  in  all  my 
life.  Did  n't  I  look  dreadfully  discom- 
posed, iMaudie  dear .' " 

"  O  no,  I  think  not,"  said  Maud, 
absently. 

"  Well,  I  really  felt  so,  you  know,  — 
as  embarrassed  as  possible  ;  quite  like 
some  raw  school-girl,  detected  in  some 
fault,  you  know.  And  now  —  O  dear  ! 
'what  aijt  I  ever  to  do  !  what  am  I  ever 
to  do.'  I  'm  sure,  it 's  really  quite  cruel 
in  you,  Maudie  dear,  to  be  so  very, 
very  indifferent.  You  are  far,  far  too 
self-absorbed." 

To  this  Maud  made  no  answer. 

"The  worst  of  it  is,"  continued  Mrs. 
Lovell,  "we  are  out  at  sea,  positively 
on  the  ocean  itself.  If  we  were  only  at 
the  wharf,  I  would  go  ashore  at  once, 
and  leave  all  my  luggage  behind,  —  I 
positively  would.  Now,  would  n't  you, 
]\Iaudie,  if  you  were  in  my  place .'' 
Would  n't  you,  now  .''     Say." 

"  Yes,"  said  Maud,  dreamily. 

"  But  no  ;  there  's  nothing  so  good 
as  that.  Here  I  am,  positively  at  his 
mercy.  Did  you  notice,  Maudie  dear- 
est, how  very,  very  triumphant  he 
looked  ? " 

"  No." 

"  Well,  he  did  then  ;  and  very,  very 
unpleasantly  so,  indeed.  It's  bad 
enough,  I  'm  sure,  for  one  to  have 
power  over  one,  but  to  go  and  assert 
it  in  such  a  particularly  open  way  is 
really  cruel.  It  really  reminds  me  of 
those  lines  of  poetry  that  some  one 
made,  that  it  was  something  or  other 
to  have  a  giant's  strength,  but  very, 
very  naughty  to  use  it  like  a  giant.  I 
dare  say  you  remember  the  lines, 
Maudie. 

"  But  I  know  another  reason,"  said 
Mrs.  Lovell,  after  a  thoughtful  pause, 
— "  another  reason  why  he  looked  so 
triumphant.  He  's  got  that  dreadful 
chignon  with  him.  I  saw  it  in  his  face. 
It  was  just  as  if  he  had  said  so  to  me 
in  so  many  words.  And  how  dreadful 
it  is,  Maudie,  for  a  discarded  lover 
to  be  carrying  about  a  lock  of  his 
lady's  hair.  It's  really  awful,  you 
know." 


"  O  well,  you  know,  it  is  n't  your 
own  hair." 

"Well,  it's  as  much  mine  as  most 
people's,  you  know.  Really,  one  hardly 
knows  what  really  is  a  lady's  hair  now, 
and  so  it 's  all  tlie  same  ;  but  I  do 
wish,  Maudie,  that  it  was  n't  so  very 
much.  It's  a  whole  head,  iVIaudie 
dear.  And  only  to  think  of  his  having 
it  now  in  his  trunk,  or  his  valise,  or 
his  carpet-bag.  But  I  dare  say  he  has 
a  casket  made  on  purpose  to  keep  it  in. 
Really,  Maudie  dear,  do  you  know,  it 
makes  me  feel  quite  agitated  when  I 
think  of  it.  It 's  so  very  improper. 
And  I  could  n't  help  it.  I  really  had 
to  give  it  to  him.  And  it  makes  me 
feel  as  though  it  gave  him  some  sort 
of  a  claim  on  me." 

"  I  'm  sure,  your  fears  seem  quite 
unnecessary  to  me,"  said  Maud.  "  You 
can  do  as  you  please." 

"O,  it's  all  very  well  to  talk  that 
w.ay,  Maudie ;  but  then,  you  know,  he 
has  such  a  strange  power  over  me, 
that  I  'm  afraid  of  having  him  near  me, 
and  I  know  that  I  shall  be  in  a  state 
of  constant  terror  all  this  voyage.  Of 
course,  he  '11  bother  me  all  the  time ; 
and  I  '11  have  to  be  always  planning  to 
keep  out  of  his  way.  And  how  can  I 
do  that  ?  I  must  shut  myself  up  here, 
a  prisoner ;  and  what  good  will  that 
do  ?  Besides,  I  can't  make  a  prisoner 
of  myself  in  that  way  ;  I  really  can't. 
I  must  go  about  on  deck,  and  so  I 
shall  constantly  fall  in  his  way.  And  I 
can't  help  it.  Only,  Maudie  dear,  you 
must  always,  always  be  with  me.  You 
must  never,  never  let  me  be  alone." 

"  O,  we  shall  be  always  together," 
said  Maud.  "As  to  staying  below, 
that  is   absurd." 

"  Well,  really  to  me,"  continued  Mrs. 
Lovell,  "  there  is  something  perfectly 
appalling  in  this  man's  mysterious 
knowledge  of  my  movements.  Think 
how  he  tracked  me  all  through  Cana- 
da to  Montreal.  That  was  wonderful 
enough,  but  it  was  nothing  to  this. 
For  you  see  I  tried  as  hard  as  I  could  to 
baffle  him  completely.  I  really  cannot 
think  of  one  single  trace  that  I  could 
have  left.    My  friends  all  think  that  I 


42 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


I'd! 


IMI    W 

III  i 


I ' 


cijlriiiiM 

'fMM  II! -11 1 

i|: ltd'  * 
'«lllllll'  * 
l'lll'illllll 


II 


I 


Ijllj 

ill  ii 


ll'f'l 

Si' 


::!L!  iilii:;'! 
I 

iiliilP 

i  Ii 


have  gone  in  the  Cunard  steamer,  and 
I  myself  did  not  really  know  that  I  was 
going  in  this  one  till  yesterday,  and  I 
did  not  take  my  passage  till  the  last 
moment.  Really,  Maudie,  it  frightens 
me.  I  '11  tell  you  what  I  think,  —  I 
think  he  must  have  agents." 

"  Agents  ? " 

"  Yes,  agents.  I  don't  know  what 
agents  are,  but  I  know  they  're  some- 
thing dreadful,  something  like  spies 
or  detectives  ;  only  they  are  in  private 
employ,  you  know.  And  he  must 
have  quite  an  army  of  them.  And  only 
think  of  an  army  of  those  terrible 
agents  watching  all  my  movements, 
spying  my  actions,  V^ening  to  my 
words,  and  reporting  everything  to 
him.     It's  awful." 

"  Well,  really  now,  Georgie,"  said 
Maud,  "you  are  going  too  far,  you 
know.  He  could  easily  have  found 
out  this  by  himself." 

"  I  'm  sure  I  don't  see  how  he 
could." 

"Why,  he  could  easily  have  gone 
about  and  seen  the  lists  of  passengers 
on  each  boat,  before  starting.  I  dare 
say  he  heard  in  Montreal  that  you 
were  going  to  Europe,  and  so  he 
has  watched  the  principal  steamers  ; 
and  as  he  found  your  name  on  the 
passenger-list  of  this  one,  he  sailed  in 
it  himself." 

"  Well,  then,  all  I  can  say  is,  I  think 
it  is  really  very,  very  rude  in  him.  I 
thought  he  had  such  delicacy,  you 
know,  and  such  a  fine  sense  of  honor, 
—  really  exquisite,  you  know.  He 
seemed  to  be  so  very  delicate  in  Iiis 
sense  of  propriety  and  honor  and  all 
that,  —  on  one  occasion,  —  when  he 
might  have  —  might  have  acted  so 
very  much  more  for  hi"  own  interest, 
by  being  a  little  less  punctilious,  you 
know.  And  I  really  don't  know  how 
to  harm<^'iize  sucli  delicate  conduct 
on  one  oicasion  with  the  very  incon- 
siderate and  really  alarming  behavior 
of  this." 

"  I  think,  perhaps,  you  have  given 
him  credit  for  what  did  not  belong  to 
him,"  said  Maud.  "  What  you  con- 
sidered a  delicate  sense  of  honor  may 


have  been  a  kind  of  obtuseness,  or 
bluntness  of  perception,  or  honesty,  or 
something  of  that  sort,  you  know." 

"  O,  well,  it  would  n't  interfere  with 
my  esteem  for  him,  you  know.  I 
would  n't  lay  very  great  stress  upon 
a  very  fine  sense  of  honor ;  that  is,  I 
mean,  I  don't  think  that  it  is  ne- 
cessary for  a  man  to  form  his  conduct 
toward  ladies  after  the  fashion  of 
Sir  Charles  Grandison.  And  do  you 
know,  Maudie  darling,  I  really  don't 
know  but  that  I  should  rather  prefer 
having  him  just  a  little  dishonorable. 
I  really  think  it 's  rather  nice,  you 
know." 

"Nice!"  exclaimed  Maud,  in  a 
strange  tone. 

"  Well,  at  any  rate,  they  are  all  so," 
said  Mrs.  Lovell.  "  The  men,  I  mean. 
What  they  are  chiefly  wanting  in  is 
that  peculiar  sense  of  honor  for  which 
we  women  are  distinguished.  Men 
never  form  strong  and  intimate  friend- 
ships like  women.  They  never  can 
thoroughly  trust  one  another.  They 
never  defend  the  weak  of  their  own 
sex.  They  can  never  keep  one  anoth- 
er's secrets.  They  take  a  spiteful  and 
malicious  pleasure  in  tearing  one  an- 
other's reputations  to  pieces,  and  in  dis- 
playing their  weakness  to  the  world. 
Petty  spite,  small  scandal,  and  ungener- 
ous and  censorious  observation  of  one 
another  are  almost  universal  among 
them.  They  are  terribly  inclined  to 
jealousy,  and  are  fearfully  exigent.  O, 
I  assure  you,  I  have  always  had  a 
very,  very  low  opinion  of  men  !  When 
I  was  a  little  girl,  my  governess  gave 
me  a  proof- book.  Each  page  was 
headed  with  a  statement  about  the 
nature  of  man.  The  first  page  was 
headed,  "  Man  is  corrupt "  ;  the  sec- 
ond, "  Man  is  sinful "  ;  the  third,  "  Man 
is  a  child  of  wrath  "  ;  the  fourth,  "  Man 
is  weak  "  ;  the  fifth,  "  Man  is  desper- 
ately wicked  "  ;  and  many  more.  Now, 
you  know,  Maudie,  I  had  to  find  texts 
from  the  Bible  to  prove  all  these ; 
and  I  found  no  end  of  them,  and  I 
filled  the  book  ;  and  really,  when  I  had 
finished,  the  impression  that  was  left 
on  my  mind  about  man,  Maudie  dar- 


iil 


.1 II 


A  Comedy  of  Tenors. 


43 


ation  of  one 


nen  !    When 


ling,  was  that  he  was  very,  very  sliock- 
ing,  and  that  it  was  a  great  pity  that  he 
was  ever  created.  And  I  don't  want 
ever,  ever  to  be  married  again.  And 
I  'm  dreadfully  uneasy  ;  for,  you  see, 
Mr.  Grimes  is  so  awfully  determined, 
and  so  fearfully  persevering,  and  I  'm 
so  wrctciicdly  weak,  that  really  I  al- 
most feel  as  though  I  am  lost.  And 
now,  here  he  is,  and  what  am  I  to  do  ? 
You  must  stay  with  me  always,  al- 
ways, you  know,  Maudie  dear ;  and 
not  leave  me  alone  for  even  so  much 
as  five  minutes." 

"  O  well,  Georgie,  you  know,  I  am 
always  with  you,  and  I  'm  sure  you 
need  never  be  alone,  unless  you  run  off 
by  yourself" 

"  Yes,  but  that 's  the  very  thing  I 
mean.  You  must  never  let  me  run  ofT 
by  myself.  I  can't  trust  myself.  I 
have  no  end  of  foolish  impulses ;  and 
you  see  Mr.  Grimes  has  me  here  quite 
in  his  own  power.  Here  he  is,  with  his 
great  face  and  beard  and  voice,  and  his 
great,  big  eyes,  carrying  my  chignon 
with  him  ;  and  I  know  exactly  what 
he  's  going  to  do.  He  '11  put  him- 
self where  I  can  see  him,  and  pretend 
not  to  annoy  me,  and  then  he  '11  look 
so  pathetic  that  he  '11  make  me  awfully 
sorry  for  him  ;  and  then,  you  know, 
I  'm  so  good-natured,  and  I  '11  feel  so 
sorry  for  him,  that  I  '11  manage  to 
draw  him  to  me  ;  and  then  he  '11  begin 
a  system  of  silent  adoration  that  will 
be  simply  intolerable.  I  can't  bear  to 
be  adored,  Maudie  dear." 

"  I  'm  sure,  Georgie,"  said  Maud, 
with  a  weary  sigh,  "  I  '11  do  all  that  I 
can.  I  think  you  are  really  giving 
yourself  a  great  deal  of  unnecessary 
trouble.  I  '11  always  be  with  you,  un- 
less you  choose  to  run  away." 

"  Yes,  but,  Maudie  dear,  you  must 
watch  me,  and  follow  me  up,  for,  you 
know,  you  would  n't  like  to  lose  me,  — 
now,  would  you,  Maudie  ?  and  I  'm  the 
best  sister  you  have  and  the  most  lov- 
ing. To  be  sure,  you  have  no  other 
sister ;  but  then,  you  know,  I  mean, 
even  if  you  had  twenty  sisters,  none  of 
them  could  love  you  as  I  do.  Now 
could   they,   Maudie  ?    But,   my  poor 


darling  !  what  is  the  matter  with 
you  .' " 

And  Mrs.  Lovell,  whose  protestation 
of  affection  had  caused  her  to  turn  her 
thoughts  more  particularly  to  her  sis- 
ter, now  noticed  something  about  her 
which  shocked  her.  She  was  exces- 
sively pale,  and  there  was  a  suffering 
visible  in  her  face  which  was  more 
striking  than  the  ordinary  e-xprcssion 
of  mere  dejection  which  had  character- 
ized her  recently.  In  an  instant  all 
Mrs.  Lovell's  fears  for  herself  fled 
away  in  deep  anxiety  about  her  sister. 

"  You  poor  darling  ! "  she  cried. 
"  How  foolish  I  have  been  !  I  have  n't 
thought  of  you.  And  I  might  have 
known.  Really,  Maudie,  I  did  n't  think 
of  Mr.  Carrol  being  here  too.  But  how 
very,  very  odd!  And  how  cruel  it  is  too! 
What  in  the  world  could  have  made 
hhn  come  !  With  him  it  is  different ; 
he  has  treated  you  most  shockingly, 
and  has  shown  no  desire  to  make 
amends.    Why  should  he  follow  you  ?" 

"  I  'm  sure  I  don't  know,"  said  Maud, 
with  a  dreary  sigh. 

"  He  's  a  heartless,  cruel,  miserable, 
man,"  cried  Mrs.  Lovell,  vehemently. 
"  Just  at  the  very  moment  when  you 
might  hope  for  change  of  scene  and 
all  that  to  distract  your  thoughts,  he 
comes  forcing  himself  upon  your  no- 
tice, to  show  you  how  indifferent  he 
is.  The  wretch !  O  Maudie,  never, 
never  can  I  forgive  him  for  the  grief 
he  has  caused  you.  Of  course  this  is 
all  his  mean  and  ungentlemanly  spite." 

Maud  was  silent. 

"  After  you  had  stooped  so  low  too, 
Maudie.  You  actually  descended  to 
an  explanation, ,  nd  he  did  n't  deign  to 
answer  it.  He  could  n't  forgive  the 
offence  to  his  dignity,  even  after  he 
must  have  seen  that  the  offence  was 
never  really  committed.  Or  perhaps 
he  knew  he  had  done  you  a  deep 
wrong,  and  was  too  proud  to  acknowl- 
edge it.  Of  course  that  was  it,  unless, 
indeed,  he  may  have  repented  of  his 
proposal  altogether,  and  chose  this 
way  of  getting  out  of  it.  But  what 
makes  him  follow  us  ?  In  any  case  it 
seems  a  strange  course.    Nothing  but 


44 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


Ul  III  I  -v 

'  II  I  !|l  I  W 

illlllll  It 

tillNill  •!' 

!:ili;ill  ill 

IMII  lilll  ^i|l 


i ' '  sr 

'  -'At 
ti'    I 

mn 

'  'MJi 
niliiliP; 

in'itili: 


Mil 


II I 
11    111' ' 


I 


11*11 

lii|lj:j|.' 


ip 


•i: 


petty  spite  can  account  for  it,  and  tliat 
is  the  most  probable  cause  ;  for  do  you 
know,  Maudie,  tliat  is  tlie  way  witli 
men.  O,  it  is,  I  assure  you  !  Tiiey  are 
very  mucli  influenced  by  all  the  smaller 
passions,  such  as  jealousy,  envy,  mal- 
ice, and  miserable  spite.  Nearly  all 
men  are  more  or  less  spiteful';  and  it 
is  this  feeling  of  spite  that  has  brought 
him  here.  But,  Maudie  dear,  will  you 
really  allow  yourself  to  be  made  un- 
happy by  such  an  unworthy  crea'  ^  ? 
Can't  you  fall  back  upon  your  pride, 
and  look  at  liim  with  that  utter  indif- 
ference which  he  deserves  ?  O  dear, 
Maudie,  how  I  wish  I  could  give  you  a 
little  of  my  strength  of  character ! " 

Maud  said  nothing  for  some  time, 
and  when  at  last  she  did  speak  it  was 
in  a  low  monotone,  which  sounded  rath- 
er as  it  she  were  uttering  her  thoughts 
aloud,  than  as  if  she  were  addressing 
a  remark  to  her  sister. 

"Yes,  he  must  have  received  my 
letter.  He  must  know  now  exactly 
how  it  happened.  I  expected  that  he 
would  have  come  at  once  to  me.  But 
he  would  n't ;  and  I  waited  for  days 
that  seemed  ages.  He  was  offended 
perhaps  because  even  a  mistake  had 
arisen;  and  his  pride  could  not  bend 
so  far  as  to  come  to  a  reconciliation. 
He  has  thought  of  me  ever  since  with 
the  resentful  and  angry  feeling  that  he 
expressed  in  his  last  letter.  Having 
written  that,  he  could  not  retract  it.  It 
seemed  to  him  as  though  he  might  be 
confessing  that  he  had  been  in  a  wrong. 
He  has  chosen  rather  to  let  the  error 
remain,  and  for  the  sake  of  a  foolish  and 
frantic  self-conceit,  to  sacrifice  me.  It 
was  that  which  I  saw  in  his  face  to-day. 
Why  he  has  followed  me  I  can't  im- 
agine, unless  he  has  been  prompted  by 
that  same  self-conceit  which  now  leads 
him  to  show  himself  to  me,  so  that  I 
may  see  how  indifferent  he  is  to  me. 
No  doubt  he  wants  me  to  feel  that  he 
is  ashamed  of  the  love  that  he  once  pro- 
fessed. He  has  evidently  followed  me 
with  a  purpose,  and  it  could  not  possi- 
bly have  been  an  accident,  for  he  came 
deliberately  to  show  himself  almost  as 
soon  as  we  had  left  the  wharf.     He  put 


himself  in  a  place  where  I  should  be 
sure  to  see  him,  and  as  I  turned  round 
he  fixed  upon  me  that  cold,  cruel  stare, 
the  remembrance  of  which  haunts  me 
even  now.  But  O,  Georgie !  did  n't 
you  see  how  fearfully  he  has  changed  ? 
How  pale,  how  awfully  pale  he  is  !  " 

"  Is  he  ? "  said  Mrs.  Lovcll,  in  an  in- 
different tone.  "  Well,  really,  I  scarce 
noticed  him  at  all.  I  was  too  confused, 
you  know." 

"  Well,"  said  Maud,  after  another 
long  silence,  "  I  am  not  one  of  those 
who  can  be  meek  under  open  insult 
and  contempt.  He  shall  find  that  the 
scorn  which  he  is  so  eager  to  show 
can  be  met  by  equal  scorn  from  me. 
He  sh.all  see  no  weakness  in  me.  I 
will  show  him  that  life  has  otiier  things 
for  me  of  far  more  value  than  a  silly 
sentiment." 

"O  ]\Iaudie  !  my  dear  darling!" 
burst  forth  Mrs.  Lovell,  enthusiasti- 
cally. "  How  I  love  to  hear  you  talk 
so  !  That 's  right ;  be  a  grand,  great, 
bold,  brave,  wise  woman.  Do  you 
know,  darling,  that  is  my  highest  ideal 
of  humanity .'  And  only  to  think  of 
you  being  all  that !  I  'm  sure  /  try 
hard,"  she  continued  in  a  plaintive 
voice,  —  "I  try  hard  to  be  that  myself, 
but  I  'm  sometimes  a  little  afraid  that 
I  don't  succeed  so  well  as  I  wish  to. 
But  I  intend  now  to  begin  again ;  let's 
both  of  us  begin,  Maudie ;  let 's  be 
both  of  us  great  and  grand  and  bold 
and  brave  and  wise.  Will  you,  Maudie 
dearest  ?     Say  yes,  darling." 

"  I  don't  know,  I  'm  sure,"  said  Maud, 
absently.  "  I  '11  do  whatever  you  wish, 
Georgie,  of  course." 

"  And  so  you  do,  you  precious ;  and 
so  we  '11  both  of  us  make  our  lives  sub- 
lime. For  my  part,  I  despise  men 
more  than  ever,"  continued  Mrs.  Lov- 
ell, suddenly  darting  aside  from  the 
idea  with  which  she  started,  and  revert- 
ing to  her  favorite  topic  ;  "  but  then  if 
they  are  false  and  fickle  and  weak, 
why,  we  should  remember  that  it  is  the 
common  failing  of  their  sex,  should  n't 
we,  Maudie  dear  ?  But,  IMaudie,  do 
you  intend  to  avoid  him  .'  " 

"  Avoid  him  ? "  asked  Maud. 


ill' 

llillliiii 


LLki 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


45 


"  Yes ;  do  yoxi  feel  at  all  weak  about 
seeing  him  ? " 

"  There  is  no  clanger,"  said  Maud, 
"  but  that  I  shall  always  have  pride 
enough  to  sustain  me  against  the  open 
scorn  of  any  one.  He  shall  not  tind 
me  trying  to  avoid  him  ;  I  shall  let  him 
see  that  he  cannot  persecute  me,  for 
the  simple  reason  that  I  will  not  allow 
myself  to  be  persecuted.  And  he  shall 
find  that  his  presence  in  this  boat  will 
not  make  me  vary  one  hair's  breadth 
from  my  usual  course." 

IX. 

AN  APPARITION. 

WiiEX  Carrol  turned  away  at  that 
unexpected  meeting  with  Miss  Heath- 
cote,  he  was  quite  overwhelmed  with 
the  new  emotion  that  it  called  up  with- 
in him,  and  had  the  most  indefinite 
idea  in  the  world  of  what  he  was  to  do. 
He  wandered,  therefore,  in  a  blind, 
vague  sort  of  a  way,  until  he  found 
himself  in  his  state-room.  Grimes,  too, 
who  was  equally  confused,  indulged  in 
an  equally  vague  course  of  wandering, 
and  instinctively  following  his  friend, 
he  entered  the  same  enclosure,  and 
then,  shutting  the  door,  the  two  sat  in 
silence,  looking  at  one  another. 

"  Wal,"  said  Grimes,  at  length, 
"  ain't  this  rich  !  Of  all  the  darn'dest  I 
Only  to  think  of  everybody  tumbling 
in  here  together  in  this  here  boat,  and 
at  the  very  beginnin'  of  the  voyage, 
too  !     It  does  beat  all  creation  !  " 

"  I  don't  understand  it  all,"  said  Car- 
rol, moodily.  "  How  the  Devil  did  slie 
get  here,  of  all  places  ?  When  did  they 
leave  ?  What  did  they  leave  for  ? 
Where  are  they  going?  " 

"  You  need  n't  ask  any  more  ques- 
tions of  that  sort,"  said  Grimes,  "  I 
give  it  up  at  the  outset.  I  'm  nowhar. 
Don't  direct  any  of  your  observations 
to  me." 

And  Grimes  began  to  rub  his  shin- 
gled hair  in  a  most  violent  manner,  and 
then  a  long  silence  followed. 

"  I  see  how  it  is,"  said  Carrol,  at 
length.    "  It 's  beginning  to  be  intelli- 


gible, though  the  Devi!  himself  must 
have  contrived  that  she  and  I  should 
find  ourselves  in  the  same  boat.  But 
I  see  how  it  is.  She  has  heard  about 
—  about  thai  affair,  and  has  got  a  bad 
fright.  She  is  in  deep  affliction.  She 
looked  sad  enough,  by  heaven  !  and  had 
enough  sorrow  in  her  face  to  suffice 
for  a  dozen  Frenchmen  ;  she  's  mourn- 
ing over  her  vanished  coronet.  This 
great  calamity  has  spoiled  her  game. 
She  finds  that  her  comedy  has  become 
a  tragedy.  It's  the  town  talk;  she 
has  fled  from  people's  tongues.  Aha  ! 
what  a  fright  she  must  have  had  when 
she  saw  me  !  Perhaps  she  will  inform 
on  me ;  I  should  like  that ;  I  should 
have  Iter  hauled  up  as  chief  witness ; 
but  there 's  no  danger  of  that ;  she 
would  n't  dare  to  do  it.  O  no,  she  '11 
pray  for  my  escape  from  a  trial,  out  of 
consideration  for  her  precious  self!  By 
heaver  '  she  'U  begin  by  this  time  to 
learn  tnat  she  made  a  slight  mistake 
when  she  first  undertook  to  make  a 
decoy  duck  oi me.'" 

"  See  here,  my  son,"  said  Grimes, 
"listen  to  me  for  a  moment.  I  don't 
like  this.  I  acknowledge  that  you've 
had  a  hard  row  to  hoe,  but  at  the  same 
time  I  swear  I  won't  set  here  and  hear 
you  abuse  a  young  woman  in  that  in- 
fernal fashion.  What 's  the  use  of  bein' 
a  live  man  if  one  's  goin'  to  talk  like  a 
darned  jackass  ?  Now  I  dare  say  she  's 
not  acted  altogether  on  the  square ; 
but  at  the  same  time  that  does  n't  give 
you  any  right  to  use  such  language  as 
you  do.  I  don't  believe  anythin'  of  the 
sort.  I  judge  her  by  her  face,  and  I 
say  that  a  woman  with  a  face  like  hers 
can't  be  the  infernal  fiend  that  you 
make  out.  She  can't  do  it,  nohow. 
Besides,  even  if  she  was,  she  's  a  wo- 
man, and  for  that  very  reason  she  had 
ought  to  be  sacred  from  abuse  and 
slander  and  defamation.  My  idee  is 
that  women  as  a  general  thing  have  a 
precious  hard  time  of  it  on  this  planet, 
and  if  one  of  them  doos  n't  happen  to 
turn  out  just  as  we  like,  we  had  n't 
ought  to  pitch  into  her  in  that  red-hot 
style.  And  finally,  let  me  impress  upon 
you  the  fact,  which    has    been  made 


46 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


II  «i 

Ml  I'll 

mil  I 
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known  to  mc  by  a  long  antl  profound 
study  of  luiman  nature,  tliat  no  human 
bein'  tliat  lias  given  himself  up  to  in- 
iquity and  meanness  and  baseness 
can  ever  have  such  a  face  as  the  face 
that  belongs  to  that  young  woman.  It 
can't  be  done,  nohow." 

During  these  remarks  Carrol  stared 
gloomily  at  Grimes,  but  the  hitter  took 
no  notice  of  him.  Grimes  himself  had 
on  his  broad  honest  face  a  gloom  but 
little  inferior  to  that  of  Carrol.  There 
was  once  more  visible  in  his  expres- 
sion that  bewilderment  and  perplexity 
which  had  shown  itself  before  on  lis- 
tening to  Carrol's  story.  The  encounter 
with  the  ladies  had  evidently  created  a 
new  puzzle  which  had  joined  itself  to 
the  former  one,  and  complicated  it. 
So  he  sat  in  silence,  involved  in  his 
own  thoughts,  and  struggling  to  emerge 
from  his  bewilderment. 

Carrol  meanwhile  sat  with  his  head 
buried  in  his  hands.  At  last  he  raised 
it,  and  said  as  if  to  himself,  "  What 
are  they  doing  here  ?  How  did  they 
happen  to  come  on  this  boat  ?  " 

Grimes  started  up. 

"Wal,"  said  he,  "that's  easy  an- 
swered. In  the  first  place,  they  have 
as  much  right  here  as  you  or  me.  In 
the  second  place,  I  beg  leave  to  call 
your  attention  to  the  fact  that  this  is 
a  free  country.  Women  have  a  hard 
time  of  it  as  a  general  thing,  but  after 
all  they  have  certain  inalienable  rights, 
among  which  may  be  mentioned  as 
self-evident  truths  their  natural  right  to 
life,  liberty,  the  pursuit  of  happiness, 
and  the  privilege  of  travellin'  wherever 
they  darn  please,  so  long  as  they  're 
able  to  pay  their  way." 

"  It 's  hard  to  have  them  here.  It 's 
damned  hard,"  said  Carrol. 

"  O,  you  need  n't  blame  her.  'T  ain't 
likely  she  did  it  on  purpose." 

"  I  should  hope  not." 

"  Depend  upon  it,  she  would  n't  have 
come  by  this  boat  if  she  'd  'a'  known 
you  were  on  board." 

"  No,  I  don't  see  how  she  could 
wish  to  be  so  close  to  me." 

"  She  came  because  this  boat  was 
the  first  and  directest,  and  because  her 


sister  brought  her.  As  for  you,  my 
son,  don't  be  alarmed.  The  boat 's 
large  enough  for  you  two.  You  can 
avoiil  her.  Go  forward  when  you  are 
on  deck,  and  let  her  stay  astern.  And 
at  the  same  tinie,  let  me  advise  you  to 
try  and  get  out  of  that  infernal  habit 
of  vilifying  her.  Tor  my  part,  I  think 
there  's  a  mistake  somewhere  or  some- 
how, and  so  I  never  believe  half  of 
what  you  say  on  that  subject.  Your 
suspicions  are  false  somehow,  I  do 
believe.  Why,  man,  that  face  of  hers 
is  enough  for  me ;  I  believe  in  faces, 
I  do  ;  and  I  tell  you  what,  if  ever  there 
was  nobility  of  nature  stamped  upon  any 
face,  it  's  on  hers.  How  is  it  possible 
that  any  one  with  such  a  face  can  be 
what  you  say  ?  " 

"  O,  damn  it,  man  !  "  burst  forth  Car- 
rol, "  don't  talk  to  me  about  her  face. 
Don't  I  know  it  better  than  you  do  ? 
Don't  I  know  every  feature  by  heart  ? 
Won't  I  always  have  to  remember  it.' 
Have  n't  I  thought  all  the  time  of  the 
horrible  contrast  between  her  face  and 
her  nature  ?  I  tell  you,  it  w.as  her  face 
that  lured  me  to  destruction.  Destruc- 
tion .?  Yes  ;  and  mind  you,  when  I 
say  that  word  I  mean  it.  Look  at  me. 
Have  you  forgotten  what  I  told  you  a 
short  time  ago  ?  Let  me  tell  you  now, 
what  I  owe  to  that  face  of  hers,  which 
you  think  so  noble.  I  '11  speak  of  her 
for  the  last  time,  and  promise  never  to 
mention  her  again." 

Carrol  drew  a  long  breath.  His  agi- 
tation was  excessive.  He  spoke  quick 
and  short.  His  face  was  white,  and 
his  lips  bloodless,  while  his  gestures 
which  were  formerly  few  and  far  be 
tween,  were  now  vehement  and  fre- 
quent. 

"  First  of  all,"  he  continued,  "  she 
encouraged  me,  and  led  me  on,  — 
she  led  me  on,"  he  repeated  savagely, 
"  till  I  was  too  far  gone  to  haul  off 
easily,  and  then  picked  up  that  French- 
man. She  encouraged  him  too,  and 
secretly.  She  fought  me  off  judicious- 
ly, so  as  not  to  lose  me,  and  at  the 
same  time  she  stealthily  cultivated  him. 
She  used  mc  as  her  infernal  decoy  to 
work  upon  him.    She  played  with  my 


:! 


illM 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


47 


s,  I 


most  sacred  feelings  and  trifled  with 
my  life  for  no  other  reason  than  her 
own  insatiable  but  silly  vanity.  At 
last  I  ijroposed.  She  rejected  nic,  hut 
accepted  the  otiier.  You  know  the  re- 
sult.    I  need  n't  go  over  that  again." 

Carrol  paused,  in  terrible  excite- 
ment ;  his  breathing  was  (juick  and 
spasmodic  ;  and  his  set  brows  and 
clenched  hands  showed  the  intensity 
of  his  feeling. 

"Here  am  I,"  he  exclaimed.  "Look 
at  me  now.  Look  at  me.  What  am 
I  ?  Tliink  of  my  position  a  few  days 
ago,  and  then  tliink  of  mc  now.  What 
ami.'  What  ?"  he  repeated.  "Why 
tliis,  —  I  'm  an  outlaw,  — a  fugitive,  — 
hunted  down,  —  forced  to  fly,  —  an  ex- 
ile forevermore,  —  my  life  forfeited. 
Life  is  for  me  only  a  curse.  Death  is 
welcome.  Wliat  am  1  ? "  he  continued. 
"  I  'm  a  murderer  !  "  he  answered,  in 
a  low,  thrilling  voice.  "That  's  what 
I  am.  I  bear  on  my  brow  the  mark 
of  Cain.  A  murderer !  A  murderer  ! 
Abhorred  of  man,  and  accursed  of 
God  !  " 

He  stopped,  overwhelmed  by  his  agi- 
tated feelings,  and  again  buried  his 
face  in  his  hands. 

To  all  this  Grimes  had  no  answer  to 
make.  In  fact,  as  he  sat  there,  erect 
and  rigid,  witli  his  eyes  fixed  upon  tlie 
bowed  form  of  his  friend,  there  seemed 
in  him  some  portion  of  that  emotion 
which  convulsed  the  other.  His  old 
look  of  bewilderment  came  over  his 
face,  and  with  it  there  came  an  ex- 
pression of  trouble,  and  grief,  and  deep 
concern,  and  self-reproach.  He  did 
not  utter  one  sii,";le  word. 

At  last  Carrol  started  up. 

"  I  can't  stand  this,"  he  exclaimed, 
"  I  feel  half  suffocated 
deck." 

With  these  words  he  opened  the 
door  and  went  out.  Grimes  did  not 
follow  him,  but  sat  there,  motionless 
and  thoughtful.  He  only  moved  once 
to  shut  the  door,  and  then,  resuming 
his  former  position,  he  gave  himself  up 
to  his  perplexed  thoughts. 

When  the  steamer  left  the  wharf 
it  was  midday,  but  hours  had  passed 


I  must  go  on 


since  then.  It  was  now  twilight.  All 
around  extended  the  broad  surface  of 
the  ocean,  over  which  the  steamer 
forced  her  way,  urged  on  by  the  mighty 
engines  whose  dull  rumble  sounded 
from  below.  Carrol  reached  the  deck, 
and  stood  for  some  minutes  looking 
around.  Overhead  was  the  clear  sky  ; 
all  around  was  the  dark  water.  The 
sun  had  set,  and  the  shadows  of  night 
were  descending,  but  objects  were  still 
discernible. 

Carrol  looked  around,  and  then 
strolled  slowly  forward  about  half  tlic 
lengtli  of  the  vessel.  There  he  stopped 
and  sat  down,  and  gave  himself  up  to 
his  gloomy  thoughts. 

His  sudden  meeting  with  Grimes 
had  been  a  relief  to  the  strain  of  his 
feelings,  and  even  the  excitement  of 
seeing  Miss  Heathcote  had  only  served 
to  distract  his  mind  from  the  one  dark 
subject  on  which  it  incessantly  brooded. 
But  now  the  relief  and  the  distraction 
had  passed,  and  the  old  inevitable  re- 
morse returned,  and  with  the  remorse 
came  the  harrowing  fear  of  retribution  ; 
such  feelings  as  these  now  filled  his 
soul  as  he  sat  here,  and  withdrew  his 
attention  from  the  scene  around.  The 
darkness  which  was  descending  over 
that  scene  was  analogous  to  the  dark- 
ness that  was  overshadowing  his  mind. 

Bitter  indeed  were  his  thoughts,  and 
dark  and  sad  and  despairing.  This, 
then,  was  the  possibility  of  life,  that  the 
folly  of  a  moment  could  blight  it  all, 
a  short  instant  of  self-forgetfulness, 
and  then  came  inexorable  Fate,  drag- 
ging him  down  to  crime  and  remorse 
and  ruin  and  despair.  For  him  there 
was  absolutely  no  remedy.  No  sor- 
row, no  repentance,  could  now  avail. 
The  deed  was  done.  The  inevitable 
consequences  must  be  his.  The  wages 
of  sin  are  death,  and  so,  it  seemed,  are 
the  consequences  even  of  folly. 

From  these  meditations  he  sought 
refuge  in  that  which  was  now  his  chief 
resort  from  the  gloom  of  his  soul, — 
his  brandy-flask.  As  he  unscrewed 
the  stopper  he  thought  grimly  of  a 
saying  which  he  had  once  heard  from 
Grimes. 


™, 


.is 


A  Co>H(;h  of  T<nvrs. 


riiiJl 

Jill  ^ 


.:||i 


I'll!' 

■  111. 


iirf 
:i:  rt 


'"'ill,*" 


II  II 


m 


% 

■Hl|l|i 

•m 
m 


mm 


>  'i 


"  A  inurdiMTr,"  s.iiil  lie,  "  .ilw.iys 
Imns  mil  I), id.  \o\\  sec  iiidst  iicdplc 
after  nuirilcr  t.ikc  In  drink  ;  .iiid  llicy 
(It>,  as  ;\  j;ciu'ral  tliiiii;,  driidv  //,//,/, 
and  linn  on!  pnor  cnsscs.  'I'lici'dnri' 
I  would  n'l  advist"  anyluidy  (o  comniit. 
niindi  r  if  lu'  ran  liclp  il." 

"I'lu"  llask  was  slowly  niudikcd. 
Holding  llii'  stopprr  in  his  liidil  liand, 
Carrol  raised  tlif  llask  in  liis  IcK.  Ai 
till'  s am  •  niomriit  lie  laiscd  liis  head, 
and  liis  nionlli  was  already  parted  lo 
receive  llie  approaeliine,  liipior,  wlien 
suddenly  in  'lie  very  <'risis  of  (Ids  aet 
Ids  altenlion  was  arresled  liy  a  CiiMire 
thai  slood  on  (lie  opposite  side  of  the 
.ship,  direetly  Caeing  him. 

lie  w,is  siltintj  aliont  a  hall"  do/en 
yards  aCl  the  funnel.  lUhind  llu'  Inn- 
nid  a  I. imp  w.is  suspended,  whose  liidil 
shone  down  ihrotn;!!  the  jdoom.  Il 
.shone  upon  C.inol,  and  il  shone  .dso 
upon  Ihe  (ii;iire  whii  h  h.id  aiic.led  his 
allenlion  al  llial  eiili(,il  nionienl. 

llinnan  e\peiienee  has  l.nndil  ns 
lli.il  llieic  is  m.inv  a  .slip  lielween  lIu" 
Clip  .111(1  Ihe  lip;  .111(1  hnm.iii  expeii- 
('ne(>  also  leacluv;  us  111, it  when  .1  slip 
I. ikes  |il.i(  ('  under  such  ciK  iini'.l.uK cs, 
il  is  Ihe  lesidl  of  sonielliini;  sei  ions. 
Now,  when  Ihe  enp  is  ol  sncll  a  nallir<' 
:is  Ihis  ol'  ('.nidi's,  and  when  Ihe  lip 
lieloiiL'.s  lo  a  man  who  is  lilled  willi  a 
dc'.pei.ile  er.iviiii','  lor  lids  enp,  .is  Ihe 
only  sol. ice  to  his  desp.iir,  why,  llien, 
It  sl.iiids  to  re.isoii  lli.it  the  union 
of  Ihe  two  e.in  only  lie  pi('vent(>d  by 
somelhinij  of  the  most  aslonishin;^ 
kind. 

1 1  w.is  evident  that  C.irrol  saw  in 
this  litMire  ^;onlelllilll:;  thai  w.is  snlli- 
t'ieiillv  .I'.tonisliin:;  to  aile.sl  the  pro- 
j^ress  ol'  his  Ii.iiid. 

The  li};ur(>  stcod  there,  indisliiK  t  in 
the  ;;looin  ;  lint  the  lif;lil  from  the  1. in- 
tern shone  upon  its  I'.iee,  leaviii;^  ''"' 
rest  of  il  les.H  visiMe.  ( )n  its  head  w.is 
a  very  commonplace  fell  hit  ;  Iml  llu; 
f.ice  th.il  W.IS  revealeil  hene.ilh  il  was 
not  al  all  eominonpl.u'o.  It  wa.s  ;i  very 
pale  f.ice  ;  il  h.id  a  short  heard  and  ,1 
niiisl.K  he  ;  and  the  eyes  were  wide  and 
sl.nini',,  and  lixed  on  Carrol.  To  Car- 
rol there  seemed  a  Iioirilile  meaning  in 


those  wide -st.irini;  rycvs,  with  their 
fiMsl  j;,i/('  ;  soiiiethini;  not  of  this 
e.irlh,  somelhiii!;  Ili.it  w.is  the  ii.itii- 
r.il  resnll  of  his  ciiiiie.  In  an  inslanl 
there  (l.ished  throiii'.h  his  mind  Ihe 
iiiemoiy  of  lh.it  Nii;lit  of  Horror,  ill 
the  old  house,  f.ice  to  f.iee  with  his 
enemy  ;  a);ain  the  npniy  was  renewed, 
his  senses  aj;ain  were  maddened  hy 
111. it  dread  scene  ;  once  more  ihcie  re- 
soiinded  the  lliimdei  of  the  explodiiij;' 
liislol,  followe(l  liv  lli.it  alilioiicnl  noise 
of  Ihe  l.ill  of  Ihe  viclini.  The  renew. il 
of  111,.)  iioiror  iinnerved  him.  Tin; 
ll.isk  fell  lidiii  his  h. 111(1.  He  sl.irled 
lo  his  feel,  and  sl.ii;!;ered  forward  lo- 
w.ird  the  lii;nre.  under  the  inllncncc 
of  a  leirihle  f.iscinalioii. 


X. 

Till',  ii.\t'\ri;i)  MINI). 

C.MiUiii,  rushed  forw.ird  tow. ml  the 
(l!;nre.  under  the  inllneiKe  of  a  ter- 
rilile  lasciii.ilioii.  The  Hoiror,  which 
h.id  oppressed  him  once  liefoie  on  111. it 
memoi.ilile  ni:dil,  now  seeiiusi  lo  re- 
new ils  power  ovci  him.  He  olicyd 
niechanic.dlv  a  Mind  impulse,  Ihe  cic.i- 
ture  of  tli.ii  Horror,  and  spnini;  low.ird 
the  lii'.iire  ill. it  thus  showed  ilscll,  with- 
onl  any  well  ilelined  lhon:dil  or  motive! 
wli.ile\'er.  He  h.id  scar( cly  l.ike"  Iwo 
or  three  steps,  !;owever,  when  his  tool 
sliiK  k  a!;.iinst  an  iron  rod,  that  ran 
across  the  vessid  alionl  two  inches 
aliove  tlie  deck.  He  stnmhled,.md  tell 
heavily  downward,  and  the  lone  with 
which  he  struck  was  so  fical  lli.il  he 
1.1)  molioiih'ss  for  alionl  h.ill.i  miiinle. 

At  Ieni;lh  he  fjathcrfsl  hinr.cll  up, 
slowly  and  |)ainfnlly,  .irid  sci.iniMcd 
to  his  feet.  The  fasi  illation  of  tli.ii 
liiMire's  li.isilisk  fj.ince  w.is  sli'l  stroiij; 
enoii;;h  to  inllnence  his  nuucineiilH  ; 
and  he  jd.iiiced  fearfully  low, 11  d  Ihe 
pi. ice  wlieic  it  had  stood. 

It  W.IS  no  loni'.er  visililr. 

lie  loo,  r{\  all  aninnd  willi  a  .shudder, 
rxpeclini;  lo  see  it  in  some  new  posi- 
tion ;  Iml  nothini;  of  the  .soit  mcl  his 
view.  Then  he  drew  a  loiU',  hre.ilh,  .ind 
without  stopping  to  pick  up  hi:*  Ikisk, 


A  Cotnofy  of  7\irors, 


'10 


lip  liiiriicil  lirldw.  His  a))i)(Mi,itH'o 
was  .'.iiii;!!!.!!'  ni()ilj;h  In  li.ivc  rxiilcd 
allcnlioti  in  ;iiiy  ollii-r  pi. no  tliiiii  (lie 
s.tliiiiii  of  .m  oil'. Ill  slcaiucr.  Ills  I'.uc 
w.is  Icnriilly  |i.llt,  Ills  j.iw  w.is  li.ini;iii;; 
down,  liis  eyes  fixed  and  );l.irinf;,  ,intl 
lie  w.dkcd  with  slaj;ncrinj;  slc|is.  Ikil 
at  stM  Hiirh  licini;s  as  llicsc  arc  con- 
st.iiilly  visililr  al  ail  times,  and  poor 
Imnianily  I  d\cs  on  even  worst;  forms 
than  tills  as  llic  ocean  asserts  it.s  mas- 
tery over  man,  ,So  llie  wild  appear- 
aiue  ol'  Cirroi  rxrited  lint  iilllc  ,itlen- 
tion,  except  on  tin-  pari  oi'diinies,  wiio 
ii.ipiieiu'il  to  lie  in  llie  saloon  as  Carrol 
cnlerrd.  lie  w.is  still  troniiled  in  lii.s 
mind  I'V  tin'  liioii);lils  111, it  liad  arisen 
from  I'.iiiiil's  .'.lory;  ,uiil  now  lli.il  he 
eiiliMcd  in  sncli  ,i  w.iy,  lie  could  not 
help  im,inininj;  lli,il  some  lu-w  event 
had  occurred  in  conneclion  willi  hi.s 
(Vicnd's  lroul)les.  So  he  .it  once  lose, 
and,  lollowiii);  t",irroI,  ciine  iiji  to  him 
just  as  he  was  enleriiij;  his  slal<-  room. 

"Wli.d's  up?"  asked  (iiinu-s,  as 
lie  stood  in  the  doorw.iy. 

C.irrol  said  noihiiiL;,  liiil  niiii^  him- 
•seir  on  a  seal,  and  huiied  his  head  in 
his  !i,iii(is. 

"  Shall  1  li};Iit  the  l,imp  ?" 

( '.iiiiil  m.ide  no  i-eply. 

Upon  this  (Irimes  acted  on  the  ]iiin- 
ciple  til, it  silence  f;ives  consciil,  .ind, 
eiileiin;;  the  si. tie  loom,  he  lif;litcd  the 
lamp,  and  then  closini;  the  door  he  sal 
down  and  looke<l  e.irneslly  .il  his  It  iend. 

"Come,  my  lioy,"  said  (liime"  al 
last,  in  a  voice  Inll  of  kindly  symp.iliiy, 
"you're  oveidoin'  il  a  litlic.  Pon't 
HO  on  in  this  style.  .Somethin'  new 
has  h.ippened.     Wh.it  is  it  :'" 

Ciirol  f;.»ve  a  he. ivy  sij;li,  hut  saiil 
liotliiii);. 

"It's  somelhin'  more 'n  seasick 
ness  anyway,"  said  (irimes,  in  .i  tone 
of  deep  conviction.  "If  il  had  lieen 
any  other  ch.ip,  1  M  say  it  was  sci- 
sickness,  hut  1  know  you  're  not  j;iven 
lli,il  w,iy.  Come  now.  Out  with  il. 
If  there's  anylhin'  new  turned  up,  il 
Won't  do  any  ^;ood  to  keep  il  to  your- 
self.    So  out  with  it." 

Upon  this  (.'arriil  made  a  iie.iier  ap- 
proach to  upcaking,  for  he  g.ivc  a  yroan. 


"\Vli,it  dill  you  remark?"  asked 
( liinics. 

Ciriol  i.iised  his  he, id  and  drew  a 
loiij;   Incilli. 

"  (irimes,"  said  he. 

"  Well,  my  son." 

"  1  've  seen  him." 

"What's  Ih.il  ?     Yon  've  wli.il  ?" 

"I've  seen  him,"  lepcali-d  I'.iiiol, 
in  a  hollow,  sepulclii.d  voice. 

"You've  seen  him!  seen  him! 
Seen  who?     Who's  him  ?" 

" 'riicre  's  only  One,"  s.iid  ('.iiiol, 
solemnly,  "  ih.il  I  could  inc. in,  only 
One,  the  One  thai  li.iunis  me  alw.iys, 
the  One  who  fell  heiiiMlh  my  hand." 

"  Wli.it  !  Ili.it  iiil'cMi.d  fro;;  ealin' 
I'lcnchni.in  ?  "  s.iid  ( ii  imcs,  i  nn.cmplu- 
ously.  "  O,  lome  now,  lli.it 's  .ill  in- 
fernal ruhhish." 

"1  've  seen  him,"  mo.med  C.iirol, 
goiii);  on  in  a  w.iy  Ih.it  sounded  like 
the  monotonous  croon  of  an  lii.di  kidy 
al  a  wake,  —  "  1  've  seen  him." 

"Well  then,"  s.iid  (iiimes,  ".ill  lli.it 
1  c.in  s.iy  is,  th.il  I  'II  he  d.iiiic<l  it'  t 
cm  iiiidersl.ind  why  llic  '.i);lil  of  a 
miser.ihle  fro);  ealin'  I'lenchm. in  should 
produce  such  an  ell'ect  iijion  any  one 
who  c.ills  liimself  a  ni.iii.  ('ome  now, 
C.iiidl,  sli.ike  yourself     He  a  m.in." 

"  1  s.iw  him,"  said  C.irrol,  ome  more 
t,ikiii);  up  the  hiirden  of  his  ;ioiii;,  "  1 
s,iw  him.  There  \v,is  no  mist.ike.  1 1 
w,is  hy  the  smoke  slack." 

"  Ity  the  smoke  stack  ?" 

"  Yes,  just  now,  hy  llie  smoke-slack. 
1  s.iw  him.  It  W.IS  he.  There  w.is 
no  mist.ike.  1  could  not  he  misl.ikeii 
in  lli.it  death-pale  face,  --  the  l.u  e  of  a 
corpse,  •  -  in  the  terrihle  j;l.ire  of  lliosc 
j;l.issy  eyes       " 

"It's  evident,"  said  (iiimes,  after  a 
hiief  ohsi'rv.ition  of  the  sl.ile  of  his 
liicnd,  "  it 's  evident  lli.it  somethiiifj 
has  hecome  visihle  to  you,  and  il  '.s 
also  evident  lli.it  you  've  heeii  consiil- 
ei.ilily  a);it.ile<l." 

C.irrol  s.iid  nothing;,  hul  s,il  with  hi.s 
eyes  fixed  upon  the  (loor,  .iiul  his  hrow,H 
t  ()iilr,icled  into  a  Irown. 

"  My  iilee,"  s.iid  (irimes,  after  an- 
<illier  ihou^htliil  i)atise,  -  "my  idee  i.H 
this,  you  've   hecn  iliinkin'  allo^^cthcr 


««1 

I 

"II 
w 

.11 


It 

1)1 


50 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


"\\\\ 

Jill: 

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ii'iii 

llllli 

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'liir 

9|lh 

i|r 

I'-:  ''!' 

i|f' 

lilili 

;!;; 

1 

1 
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mil 

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ii 

1.11 

'iiiii 

I  II    U'll 

II.  "Hi 


l;!l'l« 


4 


il!f!''| 


too  much.  It 's  more  'n  flesh  and 
blood  can  stand.  Now  I  've  noticed 
since  we  've  met  you  've  been  on  one 
prolonged  tipple ;  never  could  five 
minutes  pass  without  a  pull  at  your 
flask  ;  and  a  man  that 's  got  to  that  has 
simply  reached  a  point  where  he  is 
liable  to  be  visited  by  all  the  devils  in 
Pandemonium.  If  you  've  been  goin' 
on  at  this  rate  since  you  left  your  home, 
all  I  can  say  is,  that  you  're  in  a  darned 
bad  way,  and  you  're  now  just  about 
inside  the  borders  of  the  territory  of 
Delirium  Tremens."' 

"  O,  that 's  all  very  well,"  said  Car- 
rol, rousing  himself  by  a  strong  effort, 
—  "it's  all  very  well,  and  I  don't  doubt 
that  there  's  something  in  what  you  say. 
I  do  take  a  little  too  much,  I  confess. 
I  've  never  been  a  drinking  man,  and 
this  last  week  I  've  done  a  good  deal  in 
that  way,  I  know  ;  but  at  the  same  time 
the  event  of  this  night  had  nothing  at 
all  to  do  with  that.  And  what  I  saw 
had  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  fancy 
or  excitement.  I  was  perfectly  cool. 
I  was  dull  and  depressed,  and  I  saw 
him, —  I  saw  the  Frenchman  that  I 
killed,  —  I  saw  him  — not  ten  feet  from 
me.  It  was  no  fancy  ;  it  was  reality." 
Grimes  looked  hard  at  Carrol,  and 
his  brows  knit  together  in  a  frown  of 
perplexity. 

"  You  'II  have  to  tell  m  j  some  more 
about  it,"  said  he,  at  last,  "  for  I  '11  be 
darned  if  I  can  make  it  out." 

Carrol  mechanically  felt  for  his  flask. 
But  he  could  not  find  it,  for  the  simple 
reason  that  he  had  left  it  behind  him  in 
his  flight.  On  discovering  this  he  leaned 
back  in  a  resigned  way,  and,  drawing  a 
long  breath,  he  began  to  tell  his  story. 
He  narrated  the  '^tory  very  circum- 
stantially indeed,  omitting  no  incident, 
until  he  reached  the  point  where  the 
dread  figure  had  appeared  before  him. 
Here  he  began  to  work  into  his  story 
details  that  belonged  rather  to  fancy 
than  to  fact,  and  threw  around  the 
figure  that  he  described  all  the  terrible 
accessories  that  had  been  created  by 
his  own  feverish  imagination.  To  all 
this  Grimes  listened  with  profound 
silence. 


And   as   Grimes    listened    a    great 
change  came  over  him. 

Mention  has  already  been  made  of 
that  singular  anxiety  and  that  ill-con- 
cealed remorse  which  had  appeared  in 
his  face  as  he  listened  to  Carrol's  first 
story.      The  feelings   that   were   thus 
expressed  had  agitated  him  ever  since, 
making  him  preoccupied,  troubled,  and 
ill  at  ease.     He   had  been   brooding 
over  this  at  the  very  time  when  Carrol 
had  rushed  into  the  cabin.     But  now, 
as  he   listened  to  this  new  story,  the 
effect  that  it  produced  upon  him  was  of 
such  a  nature  that  it  led  to  a  complete 
overturn  of  his  feelings;  and  the  change 
was  plainly  visible  in  his  face  and  man- 
ner.    The  dark  shadow  of  anxious  care 
passed  away  from  his  brow.     Over  his 
face  there  came  its  natural  expression, 
that  air  of  broad  content,  of  bland  and 
philosophic  calm,  of  infinite   self-com- 
placency   and   heartfelt  peace,    which 
formed  the  well-known  characteristics  of 
California  Grimes.     But  there  was  even 
more  than  this  ;  there  came  over  his 
face  a  positive  joyousness,  —  a  certain 
hilarious  glee,  which  seemed  to  show 
that    Carrol's    story  conveyed  to  his 
mind  a  far  deeper  meaning  than  any 
which  was  perceptible  to  the  narrator. 
There  were  indeed  moments  in  which 
that  hilarious  glee    seemed  about  to 
burst  forth  in  a  way  which  would  be 
perceptible  to  other  senses  t'naii  that  of 
sight ;  but  Carrol  did  not  notice  it  at  all ; 
he  did  not  see  the  shakings  of  soul  that 
communicated  themselves  to  the  vast 
body  of  his  friend,  nor  did   he  mark 
the  smile  that  at  times  deepened  into 
a  grin,  and  threatened  to  make  itself 
known  in  a  peal  of  stentorian  laughter. 
For  Carrol's  eyes,  as  he  spoke,  were 
solemnly  fixed  upon  the  floor,  nor  was 
he  conscious  of  anything  else  but  the 
ren.embrances  of  that  terrific  visitation 
which  he  was  describing  to  Grimes. 

At  length  he  ended  his  story,  and 
then  there  was  a  long  pause. 

It  was  at  last  terminated  by  Grimes. 

"VVal,"  said  he,  "you  've  made  up  a 

pooty  tough  story,  but,  looking  at  it  in 

a  calm  and  rational  manner,  I  can  come 

to  only  one  of  two  conclusions.  The  fust 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


51 


conclusion  is  tliat  you  had  been  drinkin' 
too  mucli.  This  is  confirmed  by  your 
own  confession,  for  you  were  just  going 
to  talve  a  further  drop  when  the  flask 
took  a  drop  of  its  own  accord.  Think 
now,  miglit  n't  you  liave  been  a  victim 
to  some  infernal  hallucination  or  other, 
brought  on  by  delirium  tremens?" 

Carrol  shook  his  head  impatiently. 

"  You  don't  allow  it  ?  Very  well 
then.  What  is  the  other  of  my  conclu- 
sions ?  The  other  one  is  this.  It  was 
not  a  fancy ;  it  was  not  a  deception. 
You  actilly  saw  him.  And  mind  you, 
when  I  say  that  you  saw  him,  I  mean 
tliat  you  actilly  saw  him,  that  is,  the 
Frenchman  —  Du  Potiron  —  himself — 
and  no  other.  And  when  I  say  him- 
self, I  mean  himself  in  the  flesh.  Yes, 
you  saw  him.  And  what  does  that 
mean  ?  Why,  it  means  that  he  is 
aboard  of  this  very  boat,  and  hence  we 
have  one  more  surprise  to  add  to  the 
other  surprises  of  this  eventful  day." 

At  this  Carrol  raised  his  eyes  with 
a  reproachful  look,  and  disconsolately 
siiook  his  head. 

"  I  tell  you,"  cried  Grimes,  energeti- 
cally, "  he  ain't  dead." 

Carrol  sighed  heavily. 

"  O,  you  need  n't  sigh  and  groan  in 
that  style,"  said  Grimes.  "  I  tell  you 
again,  he  ain't  dead  ;  and  you  maybe 
have  seen  him.  And  I  dar  say  the 
miserable  frog-eatin'  cuss  was  as  much 
frightened  at  the  sight  of  you  as  you 
were  at  the  sight  of  him." 

"O,  as  to  that,"  said  Carrol,  moodily, 
"  that 's  impossible.  I  tell  you  I  heard 
him  fall.  He  fell  —  at  —  the  —  first  — 
shot." 

As  he  said  this  a  shudder  passed 
over  him. 

"How  do  you  know  ?  "  asked  Grimes. 

"Know  ?  Wiiy,  I  heard  the  terrible 
sound  of  his  fall." 

"  Sound  ?  sound  ? "  said  Grimes. 
"Why,  that's  nothin'.  No  one  can 
ttU  anythin'  from  a  sound.  A  sound 
may  mean  anythin'.  No  ;  you  did  n't 
see  him,  and  so  you  don't  know  any- 
thin'about  it.  You'regivin'  way  alto- 
gether too  much  to  your  imagination. 
It's  my  opinion  lliat  either  you  were  a 


victim  to  your  own  fancy,  or  else  that 
this  Frenchman  is  aboard  this  here 
steamer.  Come,  now,  what  do  you 
say  ?  Let 's  go  for'ard,  and  take  a 
look  through  the  second  cabin.  Let 's 
hunt  up  the  miserable  devil,  and  ask 
him  all  about  it.  Come,  what  do 
you  say  ? " 

At  this  proposal  a  shudder  passed 
through  Carrol. 

"  I  won't,"  said  he,  abruptly,  "  I  '11 
stay  here.  I  can't  go,  and  I  won't.  It's 
too  much.  Let  me  wait  till  I  get  over 
this.  I  can't  stand  it.  You  're  too  hard 
on  a  fellow.     You  don't  understand." 

Grimes  leaned  back  in  his  chair  and 
made  no  reply. 

For  several  days  the  effect  of  this 
"  visitation  "  was  very  strong  on  Car- 
rol. Grimes  went  forward  and  in- 
spected all  the  passengers  carefully,  but 
saw  nothing  of  Du  Potiron,  nor  could 
he  learn  anything  that  might  lead  him 
to  suppose  that  he  was  on  board. 
Gradually,  therefore,  he  fell  back  from 
this  belief  to  the  other,  and  concluded 
that  it  was  an  hallucination,  superin- 
duced by  a  diseased  brain,  consequent 
upon  excessive  indulgence  in  liquor. 
He  still  continued,  however,  to  spend 
nearly  all  his  time  forward,  out  of  a 
feeling  of  delicacy.  He  feared  that  his 
presence  inight  be  embarrassing  to 
Mrs.  Lovell,  and  therefore  determined 
to  keep  out  of  her  way. 

After  a  few  days  Carrol  ventured 
upon  deck.  He  had  as  good  a  reason 
as  Grimes  for  avoiding  the  after  part  of 
the  vessel ;  for  he  did  not  care  about 
encountering  Maud.  If  he  thus  avoided 
her,  it  was  certainly  out  of  no  regard 
for  her  feeling«  but  simply  out  of  the 
strength  of  his  own  aversion.  He  was 
still  a  prey  to  those  dark  and  vindictive 
feelings  which  had  thus  far  animated 
him ;  which  were  intensified  by  every 
new  trouble,  and  which  led  him  to  con- 
sider her  as  the  unprincipled  author  of 
all  his  woes.  The  time  that  he  passed 
on  deck  he  chose  to  spend  with  Grimes 
forward,  in  those  parts  where  ladies 
seldom  or  never  venture  ;  and  lie  con- 
cluded that  these  ladies  would  have 
their  own  reasons  for  not  cominirtliere. 


Dill' 

mi 

«»' 
ail' 


Jill' 
91   ' 


it 


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52 


A  Comedy  of  Tenors. 


ijiiii 
W 


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111'' 


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Hli. 


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lliii'i'i'i 


mini*!!' ,. 
wiun  •  i 


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;,l 

118 

'!;|l!ii 

II 

'1 

Mil', 

1 

•i 

iiiii  t 
,i,ii 

As  tc  the  ladies  they  kept  on  the 
usual  tenor  of  their  way.  Maud  had 
resolved  that  she  would  not  change  her 
plan"  of  action  for  the  sake  of  avoiding 
Carrol ;  and  so  she  went  up  on  deck 
whenever  she  chose,  generally  estab- 
lishing herself  near  the  stern.  Mrs. 
Lovell  never  made  any  objections  ;  nor 
did  she  ever  express  any  fear  about 
meeting  with  Grimes.  The  ladies  were 
very  respectable  sailors,  and,  as  the 
weather  was  fine,  they  were  able  to 
avail  themselves  to  an  unusually  large 
extent  of  the  freedom  and  breeziness  of 
the  upper  deck. 

Grimes  and  Carrol  were  very  early 
risers,  and  it  was  their  habit  to  go  up 
before  sunrise  and  wait  until  breakfast- 
time.  At  this  hour  they  had  the  free- 
dom of  the  ship,  and  could  go  to  the 
stern  if  they  chose. 

One  morning  it  happened  that  Mrs. 
Lovell  expressed  a  great  desire  to  see 
the  sun  rise  ;  and  she  and  Maud  made 
an  arrangement  to  enjoy  that  rare 
spectacle  on  the  following  day.  As  the 
day  broke  they  were  ready,  and  left 
their  room  and  ascended  to  the  up- 
per deck.  It  was  a  glorious  morning. 
They  stood  for  a  moment  as  they  first 
emerged,  and  inhaled  the  fresh,  invig- 
orating sea  air,  and  looked  with  rapture 
at  the  deep  blue  sky,  and  the  wide  ex- 
panse of  water,  and  the  lurid  heavens 
in  the  east  all  glowing  with  the  splen- 
dor of  the  sun's  first  rays.  After  en- 
joying this  sufficiently  they  turned  and 
walked  toward  the  stern. 

When  they  had  traversed  about  half 
the  distance,  they  noticed  two  men 
standing  there,  the  sight  of  whom  gave 
a  separate  and  distinct  sensation  to 
each  of  them.  At  that  very  moment 
the  two  men  had  turned,  and  appeared 
about  to  walk  back  toward  them.  The 
moment  they  turned,  however,  they 
saw  the  ladies.  They  stopped  for  about 
•five  seconds,  in  evident  embarrassment. 
The  ladies  were  perhaps  equally  em- 
barrassed, but  they  walked  on  mechani- 
cally. Then  one  of  the  gentlemen 
turned  abruptly,  and,  descending  some 
steps  at  the  stern,  he  went  down  to 
the  main  deck.    After  a  moment's  hesi- 


tation his  companion  followed  liim. 
They  walked  along  on  the  larboard  side 
of  the  vessel,  and  as  they  went  tlie  la- 
dies could  see  the  tops  of  their  hats, 
and  almost  involuntarily  they  turned 
and  watched  the  two  fugitives.  As  they 
did  so  they  saw  a  figure  standing  near 
the  smoke-stack,  with  a  heavy  cloak 
flung  around  him  and  a  felt  hat  on  his 
head.  His  face  was  turned  toward  them, 
but  he  was  watching  the  two  men.  As 
these  latter  approached  him  and  reached 
a  place  amidships  where  steps  led  to 
the  upper  deck,  he  suddenly  turned, 
and  walking  forward  with  swift  steps, 
he  disappeared. 

"  Did  you  see    that    man  ?  "    said 
Maud,  in  a  low,  hurried  tone. 
"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell. 
"  It 's  Du  Potiron  !  "  said  Maud,  in 
some  agitation.     "  How  perfectly  un- 
accountable ! " 

"  I  'm  sure  I  don't  think  it 's  unac- 
countable at  all,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell.  "  I 
don't  think  anything 's  unaccountable 
now.  Did  n't  you  notice  Mr.  Grimes  ? 
Did  n't  you  notice  his  extraordinary  be- 
havior. After  such  conduct  on  his  part, 
I  decline  to  be  astonished  at  anything." 
"But  only  think,"  said  Maud,  "of 
Monsieur  Du  Potiron  being  here,  and 
the  others  also !  Why,  it  seems  as 
though  what  we  thought  to  be  such  a 
great  secret  was  known  to  all  the  world." 
"  I  should  n't  at  all  wonder,"  said 
Mrs.  Lovell,  "  if  all  our  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances were  one  by  one  to  appear 
and  disappear  before  us  in  the  course  of 
this  voyage.  I  have  given  up  wondering. 
The  thing  that  has  exhausted  all  my 
capacity  for  wonder,  and  shown  me  tlie 
utter  hollowness  and  vanity  of  that  emo- 
tion, is  the  shocking  behavior  of  Mr. 
Grimes.  Do  you  know,  Maudie  dear, 
he  has  fallen  terribly  in  my  estimation. 
Such  rudeness,  you  know  !  Why,  it  fairly 
takes  one's  breath  away  to  think  of  it ! 
Positively,  he  ran  away  from  us.  And 
yet  he  professes  to  be  my  great  friend. 
Why,  do  you  know,  Maudie  dear,  I 
really  begin  to  be  ashamed  of  him  ! " 

"  I  should  think  that  you  ought  to 
have  been  ashamed  of  him  all  along," 
said  Maud. 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


53 


"  I  ought  to  have  been  nothing  of 
the  kind,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell,  "  and  it  is 
very,  very  unjust  in  you  to  use  such 
language,  Maudie.  For  after  all,  when 
one  thinks  of  it,  his  conduct  is  very 
natural  and  very  delicate.  His  weak 
point  is  his  utter  delicacy.  He  is 
afraid  that  he  will  be  intrusive  if  he 
speaks  to  me.  That  is  the  reason  why 
he  avoids  me.  Don't  you  see  how 
carefully  he  keeps  himself  out  of 
sight .''  The  poor  fellow  has  tracked 
me  secretly,  and  is  determined  to  follow 
nie  to  the  end  of  the  world,  but  is 
afraid  of  showing  himself.  It  is  his 
utter  devotion,  combined  with  his  en- 
tire self-abnegation.  Now,  do  you  know, 
Maudie  dear,  I  see  something  uncom- 
monly pathetic  in  such  a  situation  as 
that." 

At  this  Maud  subsided  into  silence, 
and  the  ladies  walked  slowly  toward 
the  stern. 

XL 

AT  SEA. 

After  they  had  been  out  about  a 
week  they  encountered  a  gale  which 
was  violent  enough  to  keep  most  of  the 
passengers  below.  On  the  second  day 
it  began  to  subside,  and  Mrs.  Lovell 
determined  to  go  on  deck.  Maud,  how- 
ever, was  not  in  a  position  to  make  the 
attempt,  and  so  Mrs.  Lovell  was  com- 
pelled to  go  alone.  In  spite  of  the 
fear  which  she  had  expressed  of  the 
dangers  that  threatened  her  apart  from 
Maud,  she  showed  no  hesitation  on 
this  occasion,  but  after  declaring  that 
any  further  confinement  below  would 
he  her  death,  she  ventured  forth  and 
i  the  deck. 

The  storm  was  subsiding,  the  sky 
was  clearer,  and  the  wind  blew  less 
violently ;  but  the  sea  was  exceedingly 
rough,  even  more  so,  in  fact,  than  it  had 
been  at  the  height  of  the  gale.  The 
steamer  pitched  and  rolled  excessively, 
and  the  miserable  passengers  who  had 
felt  the  horrors  of  sea-sickness  had  no 
prospect  of  immediate  relief  as  yet. 
Mrs.  Lovell,  however,  was  among  the 
fortunate  few  who  can  defy  those  hor- 


rors ;  and  if  she  had  remained  below 
thus  far,  it  was  more  on  account  of  the 
rain  than  the  motion  of  the  vessel. 

On  reaching  the  deck  Mrs.  Lovell 
stood  for  a  few  moments  holding  on  to 
the  railing,  and  looking  around  her  for 
some  place  to  which  she  might  go. 
Having  at  length  chosen  a  spot,  she 
ventured  forth,  and  letting  go  her  hold 
of  the  railing,  to  which  she  had  thus  far 
clung,  she  endeavored  to  walk  toward 
the  point  which  she  wished  to  reach- 
It  needed  but  a  f^w  steps,  however,  to 
show  her  that  Uiis  journey,  though 
very  short,  was  very  difficult  and  very 
hazardous.  The  vessel  was  pitching 
and  tossing  as  it  moved  over  the  heavy 
seas  ;  and  to  walk  over  its  decks  re- 
quired far  more  skill  and  experience 
than  she  possessed.  She  walked  a 
few  paces ;  then  she  stood  still ;  then 
she  crouched  as  a  huge  wave  raieed 
the  vessel  high  in  the  air  ;  then  as 
it  fell  she  staggered  forward  a  few 
steps,  and  stood  there  looking  around. 
She  looked  around  helplessly  for  some 
place  of  refuge;  and  as  she  stood  t'lere 
her  face  assumed  such  an  expression 
of  refined  woe,  of  elegant  distress,  and 
of  ladylike  despair,  as  might  have 
touched  the  heart  of  any  beholder  who 
was  not  an  absolute  stock  or  stone. 
One  beholder's  heart  was  touched  at 
any  rate,  and  he  was  anything  but  a 
stock  or  stone. 

As  Mrs.  Lovell  stood  in  her  pictu- 
resque attitude,  in  all  the  charm  of  her 
helplessness,  there  was  suddenly  re- 
vealed a  stalwart  form,  which  rushed 
to  her  assistance.  It  was  no  other 
than  Grimes,  who  had  taken  advan- 
tage of  the  stormy  weather  to  air  his 
manly  figure  at  the  stern  of  the  vessel, 
which  thus  far  he  had  so  carefully 
avoided.  The  sudden  and  unexpected 
appearance  of  Mrs.  Lovell  had  trans- 
fixed him  with  astonishment ;  but  the 
sight  of  Mrs.  Lovell  in  distress  had 
called  forth  all  the  more  chivalrous 
instincts  of  his  nature.  Her  helpless- 
ness, and  the  mute  appeal  of  that 
beautiful  face,  had  at  once  roused  his 
warmest  feelings,  and  accordingly  he 
sprang  forth  from  behind  the  mizzen- 


f 

III'' 


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54 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


In 


III  III  I  ,;i||';> 
|l>IMl||  Jii.il 

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m  \i  (iiKi! 
pH,ii  ,1.1,. II 

liiil'ji  nr'ii 

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mwA 
ijj'iiii 

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mast,  where  lie  had  been  standing,  and 
rushed  to  her  relief. 

Grimes  was  not  the  man  to  do  things 
by  lialves.  As  he  had  come  to  rescue 
her,  he  determined  to  effect  that  rescue 
thorouglily.  He  did  not,  therefore,  of- 
fer his  arm,  or  his  hand,  or  anything 
of  that  sort,  but  quietly  yet  firmly 
passed  his  left  arm  around  her  waist, 
and  with  his  riglit  hand  seized  both  of 
hers,  and  in  this  way  he  carried  her 
rather  than  led  her  to  what  he  consid- 
ered the  most  convenient  seat.  But 
the  most  convenient  seat  in  his  esti- 
mation happened  to  be  the  one  that 
was  most  distant  from  the  particular 
spot  where  he  had  rescued  her;  and  so 
it  happened  that  he  had  to  carry  her  thus 
in  his  encircling  arm  all  the  way  from 
this  place  to  the  stern  of  the  vessel.  Ar- 
riving here,  he  retained  her  for  a  mo- 
ment in  his  grasp,  and  seemed  as 
though  he  was  meditating  a  further 
journey,  but  Mrs.  Lovell  struggled 
away  and  subsided  into  a  seat. 

"  O  thanks,  Mr.  Grimes  !  "  she  .said. 
"  How  very  fortunate  it  was  that  you 
were  here  to  help  me !  I  'm  sure  I 
have  n't  any  idea  what  would  ever  have 
become  of  me,  if  you  had  n't  come  to 
my  relief.  I  was  just  beginning  to 
give  up.  Positively  I  was  in  actual 
despair  —  " 

At  this  an  awkward  silence  followed. 
Grimes  took  a  seat  by  her  side,  look- 
ing perfectly  radiant,  but  he  did  not 
appear  to  have  anything  in  particular 
to  say. 

"  I  'm  sure,"  continued  Mrs.  Lovell, 
"  I  don't  see  how  you  ever  managed  to 
walk  so  very  straight,  and  especially 
with  —  with  —  that  is,"  hesitated  Mrs. 
Lovell,  "  under  such  very  peculiar  cir- 
cumstances. I  'm  sure  I  could  not 
have  made  any  progress  at  all.  And 
so,  you  know,  I  think  you  must  have 
been  a  great  sailor,  Mr.  Grimes." 

"  O  no,  'm,"  said  Grimes,  "  nothin' 
much  ;  only  I  certainly  have  got  on 
my  sea  legs,  though  I  don't  brag  on 
my  seamanship." 

"  O,  but  you  know,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell, 
in  a  vivacious  manner,  "  you  really 
must   be ;   and   then,   poor   me,    I  'm 


beg," 


so  horribly  awkward  when  it  is  at  all 
rough,  Mr.  Grimes." 

"  Wal,"  said  Grimes,  in  a  tone  which 
was  meant  to  be  consolatory  and  sympa- 
thetic, and  all  that,  "  it  's  a  lucky  thing 
for  you  that  you  ain't  sea-sick.  Why, 
there  's  people  aboard  now  that  'd  give 
any  amount  o'  money  to  be  able  to  sit 
down  as  you  do  without  feeling  qualm- 
ish." 

"  I  'm  sure  I  don't  know,"  said  Mrs. 
Lovell,  in  a  sweet  voice,  "  what  would 
ever  have  become  of  me  if  it  had  n't 
been  for  you,  Mr.  Grimes." 

"  O,  don't  mention  it,  'm,  I 
said  r  imes,  earnestly.  "  Just  as  if  I 
did  n  .  like  to  do  it.  Why,  I  —  I  —  I 
enjoyed  it,  —  I  fairly  gloated  over  it. 
I  —  " 

"But,  O  Mr.  Grimes,"  said  Mrs. 
Lovell,  interrupting  him  and  looking 
afar  out  over  the  boisterous  sea,  "  is  n't 
it  really  delightful  ?  I  enjoy  this  so 
very  much.  Don't  you  think  those 
waves  are  really  quite  magnificent  ? 
And  that  sky  !  why,  it 's  really  worth 
coming  miles  to  see.  Those  colors 
are  perfectly  astonishing.  Do  you 
notice  what  a  very  vivid  red  there  is 
over  there  among  those  clouds,  —  very 
vivid, — just  a  trifle  vulgar,  you  know  ; 
but  then  really  fine,  —  an  air  of  bar- 
baric grandeur, —  it  is  really  wonder- 
ful.    Don't  you  think  so,  Mr.  Grimes?  " 

Grimes  looked  earnestly  toward  the 
scene  which  Mrs.  Lovell  admired  so 
greatly,  and  saw  a  gorgeous  display 
of  brilliant  sunshine  contrasting  with 
gloomy  storm-clouds,  forming  one  of 
those  grand  spectacles  that  often  pre- 
sent themselves  upon  the  ocean,  where 
light  and  shade  are  all  at  war,  where  a 
flood  of  burning  fire  pours  down  upon 
the  sea,  and  the  wild  waves  toss  and 
rage  and  chafe  amid  wide  seas  of  pur- 
ple foam.  This  was  on  one  side  of  the 
horizon,  but  everywhere  else  there  were 
dark  waVes  and  gloomy  clouds.  Grimes 
looked  upon  this  with  a  feeling  of  ad- 
miration which  was  natural  under  the 
circumstances,  and  tried  hard  for  a 
time  to  express  that  admiration.  But 
whether  his  admiration  was  not  up  to 
the  mark,  or  whether  it  was  that  Ian- 


Ill 

m 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


55 


guage  failed  liim,  certain  it  is  that  no 
words  were  forthcoming  ;  for  Grimes 
contented  himself  at  length  with  mak- 
ing the  following  very  simple  yet  rather 
inadequate  remark :  — 

"  Yes,  'm." 

"  Yes,  it  really  is,"  continued  Mrs. 
Lovell,  "  and  it 's  so  nice  for  me  ;  for 
do  you  know,  Mr.  Grimes,  I  'm  never 
afraid  at  sea,  only  about  the  boiler  ?  If 
it  should  burst,  you  know  ;  and  in  that 
case,"  continued  Mrs.  Lovell,  with  an 
air  of  mild  dejection,  "  I  really  don't 
know  what  I  should  do.  Boilers  are 
really  such  awful  things,  and  I  really 
do  \\\s\\  they  would  n't  have  them ;  don't 
you,  Mr.  Grimes  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  don't  know,  'm,"  said 
Grimes,  slowly  and  hesitatingly,  as  he 
saw  Mrs.  Lovell's  eyes  fixed  inquiring- 
ly on  his,  feeling  also  very  desirous  to 
agree  with  her,  yet  not  being  altogether 
able  to  do  so,  —  "I  don't  know,  'm.  You 
see  we  could  n't  very  well  do  without 
them.     They  're  a  necessary  thing  —  " 

"  Now,  how  really  nice  it  is,"  said 
Mrs.  Lovell,  in  a  tone  of  profound 
gratification,  —  "  how  really  nice  it  is  to 
know  all  about  such  things  !  I  really 
envy  you,  and  I  wish  you  'd  begin  now 
and  tell  me  all  about  it.  I  've  always 
longed  so  to  understand  all  about 
boilers  and  things,  Mr.  Grimes.  Now 
what  are  boilers  ?  " 

"  Boilers  .'  boilers  ? "  said  Grimps,  — 
"  boilers  ?  why,  'm,  they  're  —  they  're 
boilers,  you  know  —  " 

"  Yes,  but  what  makes  them  explode 
so,  all  the  time,  and  kill  people  ?  " 

Thus  challenged.  Grimes  gathered 
up  all  the  resources  of  his  powerful 
brain,  and  entered  upon  a  full,  complete, 
and  exhaustive  description  of  the  steam- 
engine  ;  taking  especial  care  to  point 
out  the  important  relation  borne  by  the 
boiler  to  the  rest  of  the  machine,  and 
also  to  show  how  it  was  that  under 
certain  circumstances  the  said  boiler 
would  explode.  He  gave  himself  up 
completely  to  his  subject.  He  grew 
earnest,  animated,  eloquent.  He  ex- 
plained the  difference  between  the  lo- 
comotive engine  and  the  steamboat 
engine,  between    the   fire-engine  and 


the  stationary  engine.  He  then  went 
off  into  generalities,  and  concluded 
with  a  series  of  harrowing  accidents. 

To  all  this  Mrs.  Lovell  listened  in 
silence  and  in  patience.  She  never 
uttered  a  word,  but  sat  with  her  large 
dark  eyes  fixed  on  his,  and  an  earnest 
expression  of  devout  attention  upon 
her  face. 

At  length  Grimes  came  to  a  conclu- 
sion. 

"  O,  thanks,  very  much  I  "  said  Mrs. 
Lovell.  "It's  really  so  very  kind  of  ^. 
you,  and  I  'm  so  very  stupid,  you  know  ; 
but  is  n't  it  very  odd  that  you  and  I 
should  meet  in  this  way  .-'  I  'm  sure  I 
was  never  so  astonished  in  all  my  life." 

At  this  most  sudden  and  unexpected 
turn  of  the  conversation,  which  in  an 
instant  was  switched  off  from  the  line 
of  science  to  that  of  delicate  private 
affairs.  Grimes  looked  fairly  stunned 
with  embarrassment. 

"I  —  I  —  I,"  said  he,  stammering,  — 
"  I  'm  sure  I  can't  account  for  it  at  all." 

"  How  very  funny  !  Only  fancy  !  " 
sighed  Mrs.  Lovell. 

After  this  there  was  a  silence,  and 
Grimes  began  to  murmur  something 
about  its  being  an  accident,  and  about 
his  astonishment  being  the  same  as 
hers.  To  all  this  Mrs.  Lovell  listened 
without  any  particular  attention,  and  at 
length  asked  him  abruptly,  "  You  're 
going  to  Paris,  I  suppose?" 

"Yes, 'm,"  said  Grimes,  solemnly; 
and  then  he  added  in  an  explanatory 
way,  "  You  see,  'm,  Paris  is  a  fine  place, 
and  the  French  are  a  fine  people." 

"  How  very  funny  !  "  said  Mrs.  Lovell 
again,  not,  of  course,  meaning  that  the 
character  which  Mr.  Grimes  attributed 
to  the  French  was  funny,  but  rather 
referring  to  the  fact  that  Paris  was  his 
destination. 

At  this  point,  however,  Mrs.  Lovell 
made  a  motion  to  return  to  the  cabin. 
The  conversation  of  Mr.  Grimes  about 
the  steam-engine,  or  rather  his  lecture 
on  that  subject,  had  taken  up  a  good 
hour,  and  she  did  not  feel  inclined 
to  remain  longer.  As  she  rose  to  go, 
Grimes  made  a  movement  to  convey 
her  back  in  the  same  manner  in  which 


■<  »" 


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56 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


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he  had  brought  her  to  this  place  ;  but 
this  time  Mrs.  Lovell  was  more  on  her 
guard  and  dexterously  eluded  him. 
She  declared  that  the  vessel  did  not 
roll  at  all  now,  though  the  motion  wa^ 
quite  as  violent  as  it  had  been  before, 
and  that  she  was  able  to  v.alk  without 
any  difficulty.  So  she  clung  to  the  rail- 
ing ;  and  though  Grimes  walked  by 
her  side  all  the  way,  she  managed  to 
struggle  to  the  cabin  without  his  as- 
sistance. 

On  reaching  the  state-room  she 
burst  forth  at  once. 

"  O  Maudie  dear,  who  do  you  think 
I  saw  ?  and  I  've  been  with*him  ever 
since." 

Maud  had  been  lying  in  her  berth 
in  that  quiescent  and  semi-torpid  state 
which  is  generally  affected  by  the  aver- 
age passenger  in  rough  weather ;  but  the 
remark  of  her  sistei  lOused  her.  She 
started  up,  leaning  on  her  elbow,  and 
looking  at  her  with  intense  earnestness. 

"  Not  —  Mr.  —  Mr.  Carrol,"  she  said, 
slowly  and  hesitatingly. 

"  Mr.  Carrol  ?  No,  of  course  not ; 
I  mean  Mr.  Grimes." 

"Mr.  Grimes?  O,  is  that  all?" 
said  Maud;  and  with  this  she  sank 
back  to  her  former  position. 

"Is  that  all?"  repeated  Mrs.  Lov- 
ell. "  Well,  do  you  know,  M.iudie,  I  call 
that  a  great  deal,"  she  continued,  with 
some  warmth ;  "  especially  when  you 
bear  in  mind  that  he  was  waiting  for 
me, — really  lying  in  ambush,  —  and 
the  moment  I  appeared  he  seized  me 
in  his  arms." 

"What !  "  cried  Maud,  in  amazement, 

roused  at  once  and  completely  out  of 

her  indifference   and   her   torpor,  and 

■  starting  up  as  before  upon  her  elbow, — 

•  "  what !  seized  you !  " 

"Well,  you  know,  Maudie,  there 
was  some  excuse  for  it,  for  it  was  so 
rough  that  I  could  n't  walk  very  well, 
and  so  he  carried  me  to  the  stern." 

"  Carried  you  !  "  exclaimed  Maud,  in 
a  tone  of  horror. 

"  O,  1  assure  you,  it  was  quite  natu- 
ral ;  and,  what 's  more,  I  'm  sure  it 
was  very  kind  of  him  ;  for  really,  one 
could  no  more  walk  than   one  could 


fly.  For  my  part,  I  really  felt  quite 
grateful  to  him,  and  I  told  him  so." 

"  O  Georgie  !  how  very,  very  silly 
you  are  about  that  person  I  " 

"  He  is  n't  a  person  at  all,"  said 
Mrs.  Lovell ;  "  and  I  'm  not  silly,  — 
I  'm  simply  capable  of  common  grati- 
tude." 

"  O  dear  !  "  sighed  Maud.  "  And  so 
it 's  all  beginning  again,  and  we  '11  have 
it  all  over  and  over,  and —  " 

"It  isn't  doing  anything  of  the 
kind,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell.  "  Mr.  Grimes 
is  a  very  different  sort  of  a  man  from 
what  you  suppose  him  to  be.  He  's 
perfectly  abominable,  and  I  wish  peo- 
ple would  n't  be  so  high-minded  and 
consistent." 

"  Abominable  —  high-minded  —  con- 
sistent ?  What  do  you  mean,  Georgie  ? " 
said  Maud,  in  deep  perplexity. 

"Why,  I  mean  Mr.  Grimes." 

"Mr.  Grimes?  Of  course.  But  what 
do  you  mean  by  talking  in  this  con- 
fused way  ? " 

"  Why,  I  mean  that  his  treatment  of 
me  was  abominable,  and  that  he  is  so 
changed  that  he  seems  quite  like  a  dif- 
ferent person." 

"In  what  way  is  he  changed  ? " 

"  O,  you  know,  he  doe?  n't  take  any 
notice  of  me  at  all  now!  I  'm  nothing. 
I'm  no  more  to  him  than  —  than  — 
than  the  captain  of  the  ship." 

"Why,  I  'm  sure,"  said  Maud, 
"  that 's  the  last  thing  you  ought  to 
charge  against  him.  Seizing  you  in 
his  arms  seems  to  be  taking  sufficient 
notice  of  you,  and  something  more,  in 
my  humble  opinion." 

"  O,  but  that  was  nothing  more  than 
common  civility,  you  know  !  " 

"  Common  civility  !  "  exclaimed 
Maud. 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell,  "I  don't 
mean  that.  I  allude  to  his  general 
manner  when  we  were  sitting  down, 
when,  if  he  had  a  spark  of  friendship 
left,  he  had  every  chance  of  showing  it. 
Now,  what  do  you  think  he  talked 
about,  —  after  tracking  me  all  over 
North  America,  and  following  me  over 
the  Atlantic  Ocean,  what  do  you  think 
he  chose  to  talk  to  me  about  ?  " 


kliii. 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


57 


"  I  'm  sure  I  can't  tell,"  said  Maud  ; 
"  I  have  no  patience  witli  that  man." 

"  Why,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell,  indignant- 
ly, "  lie  talked  to  me  about  nothing  but 
tiresome  steam-engines.  And  O,  how 
he  did  go  on  !  I  'm  sure  he  might  as 
well  have  talked  Chinese.  I  did  n't 
understand  one  word.  Steam-engines  ! 
Think  of  that,  Maudie.  And  after  all 
tiiat  has  passed  between  us  !  " 
'  "  Well,  I  'm  sure,  Georgie,  I  'm  very, 
very  glad  to  hear  it." 

"  Well,  for  my  part,"  said  Mrs.  Lov- 
ell, in  a  tone  of  vexation,  "  I  have  no 
patience  with  people  that  go  on  the 
theory  that  everybody  is  like  the 
Medes  and  Persians,  and  never  change 
their  minds." 

"  Change  their  minds  !  "  exclaimed 
Jlaud,  in  strong  agitation ;  "  O  Georgie  ! 
what  frightful  thing  do  you  mean  by 
that .'  Do  you  intend  by  that  to  hint 
that  you  are  changing  your  mind,  and 
are  willing  to  take  back  your  refusal  of 
that  man  ?  O  Georgie  !  don't,  don't, 
O,  don't  be  altogether  insane  ! " 

"  Don't  be  alarmed,  Maudie,"  said 
Mrs.  Lovell.  "  It  's  all  over.  Mr. 
Grimes  has  become  very,  very  common- 
place. There  used  to  be  quite  a  zest 
in  him.  That  is  all  over  now.  He  is 
totally  uninteresting.  He  has  taken  to 
lectui-ing  on  steam-engines.  But  then," 
continued  she,  in  a  doleful  tone,  "  the 
worst  of  it  is,  I  know  it's  all  un- 
natural, and  he  does  n't  take  any  real 
interest  in  boilers  and  things.  He 
only  talks  about  such  things,  on  account 
of  that  wretched  constraint  he  exer- 
cises on  himself,  you  know.  And  all 
the  time  there  isn't  any  need  for  any 
constraint  at  all,  you  know." 

"  O  my  poor,  silly  Georgie,  how  in 
the  world  would  you  wish  him  to 
be?" 

"  Why,  I  should  like  him  to  be  ordi- 
narily friendly,  of  course  ;  but  as  he  is 
now,  he  is  nothing.  It's  Grimes,  but 
living  Grimes  no  more.  We  start, 
for  life  is  wanting  there.  He  's  like  a 
piano  that  won't  play.  He  certainly 
can't  expect  me  to  take  the  initiative. 
I  wish  he  would  n't  be  so  stupid ; 
and  do    you    know,   Maudie  dear,   I 


really  begin  to  think  that  his  conduct 
is  really  almost  immoral." 

"  I  hate  to  have  you  talk  about  him 
so,"  said  Maud,  impatiently.  "  He  is 
nothing  but  a  coarse,  vulgar,  common- 
place man." 

"  IJut  I  like  vulgar  men,"  said  Mrs. 
Lovell.  "  Refined  people  are  so  dread- 
fully commonplace  and  tiresome,  — just 
a  little  dash  of  coarseness,  you  know,  to 
give  a  zest  to  character.  I  don't  mean 
very  vulgar,  of  course,  but  only  a  little. 
I  'm  sure,  everybody  is  refined,  and  I  'm 
sure  it 's  very  hard  if  one  can't  occasion- 
ally take  refuge  in  a  little  slight  vulgar- 
ity." 

At  this  Maud  groaned,  but  said  not 
a  word  in  reply. 

XII. 

IN  PARIS. 

That  certain  persons  who  had  ev- 
ery reason  to  avoid  one  another,  and 
who  were  actually  in  one  sense  run- 
ning away  from  each  other,  should  all 
find  themselves  on  board  the  same  ship, 
was  certainly  a  strange  coincidence. 
Under  such  circumstances,  a  meeting 
was  of  course  inevitable  ;  and  hence 
they  stumbled  upon  one  another  unex- 
pectedly yet  naturally  enough,  in  the 
manner  already  described,  and  in  a 
way  more  embarrassing  than  agreeable. 

After  this  last  meeting  between  Mrs. 
Lovell  and  Mr.  Grimes,  the  weather 
continued  stormy  for  ^  -  'le  days.  Maud 
remained  below,  par  '  on  account  of 
the  weather,  and  partly  for  other  rea- 
sons. The  sight  of  Carrol  had  pro- 
duced upon  her  a  new  dejection  of 
mind,  and  his  persistent  aversion  not 
only  wounded  but  astonished  her.  In 
the  narrow  limits  of  a  ship,  while  he 
was  so  near,  it  was  not  very  easy  to 
banish  his  image  from  her  mind  ;  and 
in  spite  of  the  appeals  which  she  con- 
stantly made  to  her  pride,  the  melan- 
choly that  arose  from  wounded  affec- 
tion was  too  strong  to  be  overcome. 
Mrs.  Lovell,  however,  was  subject  to 
no  such  weakness ;  and  while  Maud 
moped  in  her  state-room,  she  sought 


I! 

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58 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


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as  usual  the  breezier  atmosphere  of 
the  upper  deck,  where  she  would  sit 
gazing  fortli  upon  the  darl<  lieaving 
sea,  lool<ing  upward  into  the  unfatliom- 
able  depths  of  etlier,  and  generally 
feeding  her  soul  with  thoughts  of  the 
Infinite  and  all  that  sort  of  thing  ;  for 
as  a  matter  of  course,  when  a  pretty 
woman  chooses  to  sit  alone  gazing  into 
space,  the  kindest  conjecture  which 
one  may  make  about  her  thoughts  is 
the  above  ;  all  of  which  is  respectfully 
submitted. 

The  result  of  Mrs.  Lovell's  profound 
speculations  while  thus  sitting  and 
gazing  into  space  was  not,  however,  of 
that  elevated  and  transcendental  char- 
acter which  may  be  fairly  considered 
as  the  natural  outcome  of  the  Infinite. 
On  tlie  contrary,  it  generally  had  refer- 
ence to  the  finite,  the  concrete,  the 
visible,  and  the  tangible,  in  short,  to 
Mr.  Grimes. 

"  He  is  a  failure,"  she  would  say, 
very  confidentially,  to  Maud,  after  a 
return  from  her  meditations  on  deck, 

—  "a  total  failure.  And,  Maudie,  when- 
ever you  choose  a  friend,  do  not  allow 
yourself  to  dwell  too  much  upon  him. 
For  you  see,"  Mrs.  Lovell  would 
continue,  as  Maud  made  no  answer, 
speaking  all  the  time  in  an  abstracted 
tone,  —  "you  see,  Mr.  Grimes  is  so 
very  set,  so  obstinate,  and  so  per- 
fectly unreasonable.  He  is  altogether 
too  consistent,  and  he  knows  nothing 
whatever  of  the  true  spirit  of  chivalry." 

"  Chivalry  !  "  exclaimed  Maud,  on 
one  occasion,  "  what  possible  connec- 
tion can  there  be  between  chivalry  and 
a — a  person  like  that." 

"  Chivalry  !  "  said  Mrs.  Lovell,  with 
some  warmth  ;  "  I  would  have  you 
know,  Maudie,  that  Mr.  Grimes  is  as 
perfectly  chivalrous  a  man  as  ever 
lived.  Why,  only  think  how  he  rushed 
to  help  me  when  I  was  really  almost 
on  the  point  of  being  swept  over- 
board !  Positively  he  almost  saved  my 
life.  And  you  have  so  little  afliection 
for  me,  that  you  sneer  at  him  for  that, 

—  for  saving  my  life,  —  for  that  is  real- 
ly what  he  did.  Why,  Maudie,"  con- 
tinued  Mrs.   Lovell,   solemnly,  "  I  do 


believe  you  're  mnde  of  stone,  —  I  do 
really." 

To  this  Maud  made  no  reply,  and 
Mrs.  Lovell,  after  waiting  for  a  moment, 
found  her  thoughts  reverting  to  tlieir 
former  channel  and  went  on :  "  Of 
course,  he  's  chivalrous  and  all  that, 
as  I  said,  but  then  he  's  so  provoking. 
He  's  so  fickle,  you  know,  and  change- 
able. But  that 's  the  way  with  men 
always.  They  never  know  tlieir  own  ' 
minds.  As  for  Mr.  Grimes,  he 's  so 
absurdly  backward  and  diffident,  that  I  " 
really  wonder  how  he  manages  to  live. 
O,  he  would  never  do  !  And  really, 
Maudie,  do  you  know,  I  've  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  Mr.  Grimes  is  a 
gigantic  failure." 

To  this  Maud  made  no  reply,  and 
Mrs.  Lovell  gradually  wandered  off  to 
otiier  subjects. 

So  the  voyage  passed  away,  and 
neither  Mrs.  Lovell  nor  Maud  saw 
anything  more  of  either  Grimes  or 
Carrol. 

It  was  near  the  end  of  August  when 
they  arrived  at  Havre.  Here  they 
took  the  cars  for  Paris. 

On  reaching  her  destination,  Mrs. 
Lovell  drove  at  once  to  a  place  where 
she  had  lodged  during  a  previous  visit, 
some  three  or  four  years  before,  and 
where  she  expected  to  find  a  honTe  dur- 
ing her  stay  in  Paris.  She  was  not  dis- 
appointed. The  house  was  under  the 
management  of  a  lady  who  was  still  at 
her  post,  and  Madame  Guimarin  re- 
ceived her  former  lodger  with  a  mix- 
ture of  courtesy  and  enthusiasm  that 
was  at  once  impressive  and  seduc- 
tive. To  Mrs.  Lovell's  great  joy, 
she  found  not  only  that  there  were 
vacant  apartments,  but  that  the  best[ 
rooms  in  the  house,  in  fact,  all  the 
rooms  in  the  house,  were  entirely  at 
her  service.  She  had  only  to  make 
her  own  selection.  That  selection  Mrs. 
Lovell  did  accordingly  make  ;  and  she 
chose  the  rooms  which  had  become  in 
a  certain  sense  hallowed  by  the  asso- 
ciations of  her  former  visit,  in  which 
rooms  she  might  find  not  so  much  a 
lodging  as  a  home. 

Such  a  reception  was  most  unex- 


mk  ^' 


^ 


A  Covicdy  of  Tarors. 


59 


pcctcd  and  most  delightful  to  Mrs. 
Lovcll,  who  could  not  but  wonder  at 
her  good  fortune.  Siie  told  Maud 
about  her  previous  visit,  when  it  was 
difficult  to  get  a  lodging-place  at  all, 
and  when  the  landlady  seemed  to  be 
granting  a  favor  on  admitting  her. 
Now  all  was  changed,  and  the  demean- 
or of  Madame  Guimarin  seemed  to 
show  that  the  favor  was  all  on  Mrs. 
Lovell's  side.  The  change  was  won- 
derful ;  but  what  the  cause  of  that 
change  might  be,  Mrs.  Lovcll  did  not 
stop  to  consider.  .She  simply  settled 
herself  down  under  the  hospitai)le  care 
of  Madame  Guimarin,  without  seeking 
to  know  what  might  be  the  reason  of 
such  cordial  and  unwonted  hospital- 
ity. 

On  reaching  Havre,  Grimes  and  Car- 
rol had  landed  in  such  an  unobtrusive 
way  that  they  had  not  been  seen  by 
the  ladies.  At  the  same  time  they  had 
no  idea  of  stopping  at  Havre,  and  had 
accordingly  started  by  the  very  first 
train  for  Paris.  This  was  the  same 
train  which  the  ladies  had  taken,  but  in 
the  confusion  they  had  not  been  no- 
ticed. And  so  it  was  that  they  reached 
Paris  at  the  same  time,  without  either 
party  being  aware  of  the  proceedings 
of  the  other.  Nor  was  it  difficult  to 
elude  observation,  for  at  every  station 
on  the  road  there  were  too  many  ob- 
jects to  attract  the  attention  and  en- 
gross it.  At  every  station  there  seemed 
to  be  a  general  haste  and  uproar  which 
seemed  like  the  wildest  confusion,  — 
a  gathering  of  great  crowds,  and  a 
Babel  of  many  tongues.  The  train  it- 
self seemed  an  object  of  interest  to 
many  ;  and  as  the  passengers  stared 
out  of  the  windows,  the  crowds  at  the 
station  stared  back.  The  train  was  a 
long  one  at  starting,  but  it  received 
constant  additions  as  it  went  on,  chiefly 
of  a  military  character,  until  at  length 
when  it  arrived  at  Paris  the  crowd  that 
poured  forth  was  immense. 

In  flying  to  Paris  as  his  city  of  refuge, 
Carrol  had  relied  upon  two  things  :  the 
first  being  the  natural  safety  which  any 
one  would  have  in  a  city  which  is  the 
common  resort  of  fugitives  from  all 


parts  of  the  world  ;  and  the  second 
additional  security  which  an  obscure 
person  like  himself  would  have  amid 
the  exciting  events  of  a  great  war. 

Now  no  sooner  had  he  reached  Paris 
and  taken  one  look  around,  than  he 
found  the  war  at  its  heiglit,  and  the 
nation  in  the  crisis  of  its  great  agony. 
Ijlis  own  afHiirs  had  thus  far  attracted 
all  his  thoughts,  so  th  it  he  had  none  to 
spare  for  the  struggle  between  France 
and  Prussia;  but  now  that  he  had  ar- 
rived here,  he  found  himself  in  the 
presence  of  a  nation  to  whose  heart 
a  mighty  pang  of  anguish  had  been 
flung,  in  comparison  with  which  his 
own  sorrows  were  the  mere  evils  of  a 
day. 

For  this  was  the  beginning  of  Sep- 
tember. The  first  blows  of  the  war 
had  been  struck.  France  had  been 
defeated  and  dishonored,  and  the 
Prussians  were  far  in  the  land.  Paris 
was  in  a  state  of  siege.  The  armies  of 
France  were  scattered ;  the  Emijcror 
was  wandering  about,  no  one  knew 
where  and  no  one  cared.  A  frantic 
Ministry  was  trying  to  buoy  up  the 
hopes  of  a  frantic  people  by  inflated 
lies.  The  information  which  they  gave 
was  suspected  by  all  ;  yet  every  one 
tried  to  force  himself  to  believe  it,  and 
every  one  spoke  confidently  of  the  ap- 
proaching vengeance  of  France,  when 
she  should  clothe  herself  in  consuming 
terror  and  in  her  fiery  indignation 
devour  the  adversary. 

Paris  was  in  a  state  of  siege,  and 
preparations  were  being  made  by  the 
authorities  which  showed  that  to  them 
at  least  the  approach  of  an  enemy  did 
not  seem  impossible.  The  environs 
were  devastated  ;  the  forts  prepared ; 
the  bridges  blown  up  ;  the  trees  cut 
down  ;  but  this  belt  of  desolation  was 
not  visible  to  the  crowds  inside  the 
city,  and  the  change  was  chiefly  mani- 
fest to  those  who  found  themselves  cut 
off  from  their  usual  recreation  in  the 
Bois  de  Boulogne. 

But  to  the  people  who  were  thus  sur- 
rounded by  this  ring  of  desolation  and 
defence,  it  was  as  though  these  things 
were  not;  and  the  crowds  in  the  streets 


It       ';' 


It 


It 

""M 

II 

A 

II 

\ 

i! 

\\ 

K 

1 

II 

ii 

6o 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors, 


IB 

I-5II  V% 

Ml  mil  ,1 1 


t 


'  '  Y'  lis  :rll 
''I'll  Hill «JI 


r'l:: 


III 

II   111 


lilllllllll  .,ll.ll<ll 


|l||l|!i 

:iii'j 


spoke  all  day  long  of  nothing  but  vic- 
tory and  vengeance.  Every  one  bad 
bis  own  theory  as  to  the  movements 
of  the  Frencli  armies.  Whether  Da- 
zainc's  strategy  or  that  of  McMalion 
were  the  more  profound,  was  a  keenly 
disputed  point.  So  profound  was  the 
strategy  of  each,  however,  that  every 
one  seemed  to  lose  himself  in  a  bottom- 
less abyss  whenever  he  ventured  to 
discuss  it.  Still  the  confidence  in  their 
hearts  was  certainly  not  equal  to  that 
which  their  lips  professed,  as  miglit 
easily  be  seen  by  the  wild  rumors  that 
arose  from  time  to  time,  the  tales  of 
sudden  disaster,  the  tidings  of  fresh 
defeats,  tiie  panic  fear  that  sometimes 
flashed  simultaneously  through  vast 
multitudes,  blanching  their  cheeks  and 
stilling  to  awful  silence  the  uproar  of 
the  people,  — 

"While  llirongec!  the  citizens  with  terror  dumb, 
Or  whispered  with  white  lips,  '  The  foe  ! 

They  come  I    They  come  ! ' " 

Still,  these  panics,  though  they  were 
quick  to  rise,  were  equally  quick  to 
subside ;  and  after  each  sensation  of 
this  sort,  the  volatile  people  roused 
themselves  anew  to  hope  and  to  con- 
fidence. And  the  uproar  sounded  forth 
again,  and  the  song  arose,  and  the 
battle  hymn,  and  the  shout,  and  ven- 
geance was  once  more  denounced  upon 
all  the  enemies  of  France. 

Everybody  was  in  uniform.  There 
were  the  citizens  who  were  National 
Guards.  There  were  the  peasants 
brought  in  from  the  country  as  Moblots. 
There  were  the  marines,  and  sailors 
from  the  fleet.  There  were  also  the 
members  of  the  ambulance  corps,  who 
served  to  remind  the  ardent  citizen  of 
the  darker  side  of  war. 

The  crowd  that  had  been  at  the  sta- 
tion when  Carrol  arrived  had  been 
immense,  but  not  any  larger  than  usual. 
For  now  there  was  always  a  great 
crowd  there  and  at  every  railway  sta- 
tion. There  were  those  who  were 
pouring  into  the  city  at  the  order  of 
the  government,  soldiers  for  the  field 
of  battle,  and  peasants  flying  here  from 
their  deserted  fields  for  refuge.  There 
was  also  another  crowd,  consisting  of 


those  who  were  desirous  of  escaping 
from  the  city  ;  many  of  wliom  were  for- 
eigners, but  many  more  of  whom  were 
tiie  wives  and  children  of  citizens,  sent 
away  so  as  to  be  out  of  the  reach  of 
that  siege  which  was  already  antici- 
pated by  the  citizens,  in  spite  of  their 
confident  boasts. 

In  all  these  scenes,  in  the  excitement 
of  alternating  hope  and  fear  that  for- 
ever reigned  in  the  thronged  streets, 
and  in  the  perpetual  presence  of  one 
.dominating  and  all -pervading  idea, 
Carrol  found  that  distraction  of  soul 
which  formed  the  surest  relief  to  his 
anxiety  and  remorse.  He  had  so  long 
brooded  over  his  own  griefs,  that  the 
presence  of  some  engrossing  subject 
outside  of  himself  produced  upon  him 
an  unmixed  benefit.  Grimes  saw  this 
with  great  gratification,  and  declared 
that  Paris  was  the  very  place  for  Car- 
rol. 

He  also  asserted  that  Paris  was  the 
very  place  for  himself  The  excite- 
ment communicated  itself  to  all  of  his 
sympathetic  nature.  He  glowed  under 
it;  he  revelled  in  it;  he  lived  in  the 
streets.  He  flung  himself  into  the  life 
of  the  people,  and  shared  all  their 
alternations  of  feeling.  His  opinion 
about  the  fortunes  of  the  war,  however, 
was  certainly  a  little  diflferent  from  that 
of  the  average  Parisian. 

"  The  Prussian  invasion,"  said  he, 
"is  a  wholesome  thing.  It's  good. 
King  William  is  a  fine  man.  So  is 
the  average  Prussian.  The  French 
are  too  frivolous.  Life  can't  be  got  to 
be  made  up  out  of  nonsense.  You 
can't  do  it.  The  French  have  got  hold 
of  somethin'  serious  at  last,  and,  mark 
my  words,  it'll  do  'em  good." 

But  the  day  soon  came  which  put  a 
stop  to  all  hope  of  victory,  and  in  an 
instant  dissipated  the  vast  mass  of 
lying  rumors  with  which  the  atmos- 
phere of  Paris  was  filled.  It  was  the 
day  of  Sedan.  The  tremendous  intel- 
ligence could  not  be  concealed  or  miti- 
gated. It  was  a  revelation  of  the  whole 
of  that  black  and  dismal  truth  against 
which  the  people  had  shut  their  eyes. 
Down  to  the   very  last  moment  they 


lev 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors, 


6l 


sustained  themselves  with  wild  fictions, 
and  thL-n  that  last  moment  came  and 
all  was  Juiown. 

Then  all  Paris  rose.  Away  went 
the  government  in  fii;;ht.  The  Em- 
press Regent  disappeared.  The  Re- 
public was  proclaimed.  Down  came 
the  Imperial  cipher  and  the  Imperial 
effigy,  and  every  Imperial  symbol  from 
every  public  place  ;  while  in  tlicir 
place  aiiueared  tlie  words  which  the 
Empire  had  obliterated  eighteen  years 
before,  "  Libertif,  Fraternitd,  Egalitd." 
And  the  old  Republican  leaders  came 
forth  and  volunteered  to  become  the 
leaders  of  the  nation  ;  old  men  came 
back  from  exile  ;  and  the  irreconcil- 
ables  seated  themselves  upon  the 
throne  of  their  fallen  enemy. 

Then  too  tlie  panic,  whicli  thus  far 
had  been  fitful  and  intermittent,  spread 
itself  broadly  over  the  city,  till  it  took 
possession  of  every  heart.  Tlie  terror 
for  a  time  drove  out  every  otlier  feeling. 
Tliose  who  could  fly  did  so  as  liastily 
as  possible.  The  peasantry  came  pour- 
ing in  from  the  country  in  greater  num- 
bers. Tlie  railroads  were  taxed  to 
tlieir  utmost  possible  capacity ;  for 
now  it  was  known  tiiat  tlie  conquering 
Prussians  would  soon  arrive,  and  then 
what  escape  would  there  be  ? 

But  the  panic  could  not  last,  and  did 
not.  Like  other  sensations,  it  had  its 
day,  and  passed  ;  and  the  new  sensa- 
tion which  succeeded  it  was  one  uni- 
versal enthusiasm  over  the  Republic, 
combined  with  boundless  confidence 
in  the  ability  of  the  Republic  to  atone 
for  the  disgraces  of  the  Empire,  and  to 
avenge  them.  The  enthusiasm  was 
also  for  a  time  accompanied  by  a  pleas- 
ing hope  that  the  Prussians  would  be 
satisfied  with  the  fall  of  Napoleon,  and 
come  to  easy  terms  with  regenerated 
Erance  ;  nor  was  it  possible  to  quell 
this  hope,  until  they  had  been  very 
rudely  disillusioned. 

All  these  new  and  startling  events 
only  served  to  increase  the  effect  which 
Parisian  life  had  produced  upon  Car- 
rol ;  and  in  the  excitement  that  never 
ceased  to  be  kindled  all  around  him,  he 
found  an  occupation  for  his  mind  that 


was  always  new  and  varied.  In  the 
overturn  of  the  government  he  also 
found  the  assurance  of  greater  safety 
for  himself;  for  with  the  revolution  the 
old  machinery  would  become  a  little 
disarranged,  and  the  Erench  police 
would  necessarily  be  cliangcd  or  modi- 
fied, so  that  the  cliances  for  his  escape 
from  capture  were  greatly  increased. 
His  liaunting  dread  of  pursuit  and 
arrest  was  now  very  much  lessened, 
and  a  sense  of  comparative  security 
came  to  him. 

Grimes  and  Carrol  gener.dly  sepa- 
rated for  tlie  day^  Eacii  made  it  his 
sole  occupation  to  saunter  about  the 
public  places,  taking  part  in  tlie  gen- 
eral excitements  and  sharing  in  the  sen- 
sations that  from  time  to  time  might 
arise  ;  but  each  preferred  to  go  alone, 
and  follow  the  bent  of  his  own  inclina- 
tions. On  one  such  occasion  Carrol 
was  slowly  sauntering  down  the  Champs 
Elysdes,  looking  dreamily  around  upon 
the  scene,  when  suddenly  he  caught 
sight  of  something  which  gave  him  a 
greater  shock  than  any  that  he  had  felt 
since  his  arrival.  It  was  a  carriage 
which  was  rolling  along  among  many 
other  carriages.  In  it  were  two  ladies, 
and  in  the  first  glance  that  he  gave  he 
recognized  Maud  and  Mrs.  Lovell.  In 
an  instant  they  had  rolled  by,  and  he 
was  left  standing  there,  filled  with 
amazement. 

Ever  since  his  arrival  at  Paris  he  had 
thouglit  of  Maud  as  being  far  away. 
On  board  of  the  steamer  he  had  sup- 
posed that  she  was  on  her  way  to  this 
city,  but  after  his  arrival  lie  had  taken 
it  for  granted  that  the  perilous  situation 
of  the  city  would  of  course  deter  the  la- 
dies from  coming  to  it  at  such  a  time, 
and  that  their  most  natural  course 
would  be  to  go  to  their  friends  in  Eng- 
land. Yet  now  he  found  them  actually 
here,  and  saw  that  they  must  have  come 
at  once  to  the  place.  He  saw  that  they 
were  still  remaining,  and  that,  too,  af- 
ter the  great  events  that  had  occurred  ; 
after  Sedan  ;  after  the  Republic  ;  at  the 
very  time  when  the  minds  of  all  were 
becoming  familiar  with  the  grim  pros- 
pect of  a  siege.    What  this  could  pos- 


I 


P'lF 


T 


62 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


'II 

HI 
(ill 

Mil 


Ji:  n;  A 
m  i  ■11 


■11 

I  II  I  til    HI'    ill 

""""  'i:!f 


niil 


Nllifp  will 


I'l 


lis'si 

I  ill'  IB  !«■ 


j-lili  11- Hi 

i'.:i''i.  .m 

niiiiiif' 

(.'IMIl.til 

••■'111  M'  !l 

|lt|Hililill,il| 

m  *'^ 

*|l!ll    ',?^. 

iHlilim  ,iti 

('imtii  ifMf 


I'-'-l  :■ 


sibly  mean  became  a  problem  which 
occupied  his  tlioiights  all  the  remainder 
of  that  day,  without  liis  attaining  to 
any  satisfactory  solution.  Could  they 
be  aware  of  the  facts  of  their  situation  ? 
Of  course  they  must  be.  What  then 
could  make  them  remain  ?  He  could 
not  imagine. 

In  the  evening  he  mentioned  the 
subject  to  Grimes.  As  this  was  the 
first  time  that  Carrol  had  volunteered  to 
talk  upon  any  subject,  Grimes  regard- 
ed tliis  as  a  very  favorable  sign,  and 
felt  highly  gratified. 

"  See  here,"  said  Carrol,  "  did  you 
know  iluy  are   here  ?  " 

"  They  .'  Who  's  '  they  '  ?  "  asked 
Grimes. 

"  Why,  the  ladies." 

"  Tlie  ladies  ?  O  yes.  I  knew  that. 
I  saw  tliem  myself  the  other  day." 

"  You  saw  them  !  Why,  you  did  n't 
say  anytliing  about  it.  I  should  think 
you  would  have  mentioned  it." 

"  O  no,"  said  Grimes,  coolly.  "  I 
did  n't  seem  to  see  any  necessity  for 
mentioning  it  to  you.  I  knew  tliat  it 
was  an  exciting  topic,  and  that  if  1  in- 
troduced the  subject  you  'dat  once  pro- 
ceed to  flare  up.  You  see  you  always 
pitch  into  Miss  Heathcote  so  infernal- 
ly strong,  tliat  I  can't  stand  it.  She  's 
a  person  that  I  can't  help  respectin' 
somehow,  in  spite  of  your  tall  talk. 
IMark  my  words,  there  's  a  mistake 
somewhere." 

Carrol's  face  flush.ed  at  tiicsc  last 
words,  and  he  stared  sternly  at  Grimes  ; 
but  as  the  other  looked  away  quite  in- 
difl'-'rently,  he  said  nothing  for  a  few 
moments.  At  last  he  remarked  in  a 
lo.v  thouglitful  voice,  "  It's  queer,  too, 
—  confoundedly  queer." 

"What  's  confoundedly  queer?" 
asked  Oinics. 

"  Wiiy,  that  they  should  stay." 
"  Queer  ?    Why,  what  is  there  queer 
about  lliat  ? " 

"  Wliat,  don't  you  think  it's  queer 
for  two  ladies  to  come  to  a  city  in  such 
a  row  as  tliis,  and  stay  here  tlirougli  a 
regular  revolution,  when  the  enemy  is 
approacliing,  and  the  siege  may  begin 
at  any  time?  " 


"Queer?"  cried  Grimes.  "Why,  I 
siiould  think  it  most  infernally  queer  if 
they  did  n't  stay.  This  is  the  very 
time  to  be  in  Paris.  Queer  ?  Why, 
what  makes  us  stay  here,  and  what 
could  induce  either  you  or  me  to  leave 
this  place  now  and  go  away  ?  " 

"  Pooh  !  Why,  there  's  all  the  dif- 
erence  in  the  world.  They  're  wom- 
en." 

"  Women  !  and  what  then  ?  Ain't 
women  human  beings  ?  I  tliink  so. 
You'll  not  deny  that,  I  suppose.  Yea, 
more.  Have  n't  women  got  curiosity  ? 
Some.  Have  n't  they  got  a  slight 
tendency  to  excitement  ?  Methinks. 
Don't  they  occasionally  get  their  feel- 
ings roused  and  grow  enthusiastic  ? 
Rather.  Now,  for  my  part,  I  imagine 
that  Mrs.  Lovell  and  Miss  Heathcote 
find  just  as  much  fun  in  these  pro- 
ceedin's  and  in  the  general  row  that's 
goin'on  as  either  you  or  I.  Yea,  more. 
I  don't  believe  any  earthly  indoocemcnt 
would  make  them  leave.  Stay  ?  Why, 
everybody  ought  to  stay.  Everybody 
ought  to  come  here.  Now  's  the  time 
to  visit  Paris.  There  has  n't  been  such 
a  time  since  the  downfall  of  ancient 
Rome,  and  there  won't  be  such  another 
occasion  for  ever  so  many  hundred 
years.  Mrs.  Lovell  leave  ?  What ! 
And  now  ?  And  after  takin'  all  the 
trouble  to  come  here  ?  No,  sir.  Not 
she.  Not  if  she  knows  it.  I  '11  bet  on 
her.  I  tell  you  what,  that  woman 's 
bound  to  see  this  thing  put  tlirough." 

"  O,  come    now,   really   now,"   said\ 
Carrol,  "you  don't    "ppose  that  Mrs. 
Lovell    is   superior    to    all    the    usual 
weaknesses  of  woman.    She  is  as  timid 
as  women  generally  are." 

"  1  deny  tliat  women  are  timid,"  said 
Grimes,  solemnly. 

"  (),  if  it  comes  to  that,  why,  there  's 
nothing  more  to  say." 

"  I  deny  tliat  they  're  timid  where 
their  feelings  are  really  concerned. 
You  get  a  woman  regularly  excited, 
and  she  '11  go  through  fire  and  water. 
She  '11  go  wherever  a  man  will." 

"O,  that's  all  very  w;!!,  in  a  few 
rare  cases,  when  their  aflections  are 
engaged,  and  they  get  half  insane  ;  but 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


63 


mv 


said 


there's  really  nothing  of  the  kind  here, 
you  know,  and  for  my  part  I  confess 
I  'm  puzzled." 

"Well,  for  my  part,"  said  Grimes, 
•'  I  glory  in  it." 

"  There  's  some  mysterious  motive," 
said  Carrol,  "something  under  the  sur- 
face." 

"  There  's  nothing  but  pure,  real, 
genuine  pluck,"  said  Grimes.  "She's 
clear  grit." 

Carrol  shook  his  head  suspiciously, 
and  finding  that  Grimes  would  not  help 
him  to  discover  this  supposed  dark 
motive  that  actuated  the  ladies,  he 
subsided  into  a  soiiicwhat  sullen  si- 
lence. 

XIII. 

AN   UNEXPECTED   CALL. 

TiiK  place  in  which  Mrs.  Lovell  and 
Maud  had  taken  up  their  quarters  was 
somewiiat  remote  from  the  busy  cen- 
tres of  Parisian  life,  and  if  there  was 
any  change  in  the  appearance  of  the 
city  it  was  not  generally  visible.  It 
was  only  when  they  went  out  for  a 
drive  that  they  saw  the  unusual  anima- 
tion and  excitement  of  the  streets,  and 
even  then  the  ciiange  did  not  seem  so 
great  as  it  actually  was. 

Upon  Maud,  Paris  did  not  produce 
that  exhilarating  cfTect  which  it  gener- 
ally does  on  tlie  new-com^r.  In  fact, 
since  her  arrival  she  seemed  to  have 
sunk  into  deeper  dejection.  On  board 
the  steamer,  as  long  as  Carrol  was  near 
her,  there  was  a  kind  of  excitement  in 
the  .dea  of  that  neighborhood  which 
acted  as  a  stimulus  to  iier  mind,  and 
was  involuntarily  associated  with  faint 
hoijcs  of  a  reconciliation.  But  now  he 
was  gone,  and  her  lite  became  dull  and 
dead.  There  was  no  longer  any  hope 
of  reconciliation,  nor  any  expectation 
of  seeing  him.  Slie  wondered  whether 
he  had  come  to  Paris  or  not,  but  con- 
chuleil  tiiat  he  had  not.  Wiiy,  indeed, 
sliould  he  ?  His  hatred  of  her  was  so 
u.'.ter  that  his  only  motive  woukl  be  to 
avoid  her.  True,  he  had  followed  her 
to  the  steamer,  but  she  began  to  think 
now  that  this  miurht  have  been  an  acci- 


dent, and  as  the  days  passed  by  she 
gradually  lost  hope. 

Mrs.  Lovell  saw  this  dejection,  and 
remonstrated  'vith   Maud  about  it. 

"  Why,  really,  Maudie,"  she  would 
say,  "  I  thought  you  had  more  pride  ; 
after  all,  your  condition  is  n't  as  bad  as 
mine.  Look  at  me.  Only  think  how 
I  've  been  deceived  in  Mr.  Grimes. 
Now,  I  know  very  well  tliat  you  're 
mopingabout  that  wretched  Mr.  Carrol, 
but  it 's  very  weak  in  you.  Be  like  me. 
Do  as  I  do.  Conquer  your  feelings, 
and  be  bold  and  brave  and  heroic." 

In  the  effort  to  assist  Maud  to  be- 
come bold  and  brave  and  heroic,  Mrs. 
Lovell  urged  her  to  drive  out,  and  so 
they  used  to  drive  out  nearly  every  day. 
During  those  drives,  Maud's  mind  was 
not  much  impressed  with  the  striking 
scenes  which  the  great  city  presented, 
but  was  rather  occupied  by  one  con- 
trolling idea  that  made  lier  blind  to  the 
charm  of  Parisian  life.  As  she  drove 
through  the  streets  and  boulevards 
and  looked  out  upon  the  crowds, 
the  idea  of  Carrol  never  left  her,  and 
she  was  always  searching  after  his 
face.  She  noticed  notliing  and  thought 
of  nothing  in  all  her  drives  but  this, 
and  the  noise  and  the  tumult  and  all 
the  busy  preparations  for  war  were 
disregarded. 

But  at  length,  as  time  passed  on,  this 
noise  and  tumult  and  these  prepara- 
tions for  war  grew  to  such  proportions 
that  they  forced  themselves  upon  her 
attention.  Slie  saw  the  doors  and 
windows  of  the  Louvre  gradually  clos- 
ing up  behind  protective  barricades. 
She  saw  those  barricades  arising 
around  the  statues  and  monuments  of 
the  city,  and  beautiful  groves  chang- 
ing into  fields  of  stumjis.  A  drive  to 
the  liois  de  Boulogne  was  sufficient  at 
length  to  arouse  tlie  attention  of  the 
most  preoccupied  soul,  and  this  drive 
did  not  fail  to  impress  Maud. 

"  Wliat  can  be  the  meaning  of  it?" 
she  asked  in  surprise. 

Mrs.  Lovell  confessed  her  inability 
to  account  for  it. 

"  Something  must  be  going  on." 

"  Perhaps  the  trees  died,  and  had  to 


i:i!l 


64 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


II!  I 


I'*! 

Hi  I  III  ,11   ,,,;  1 

'•»ll««HllHl' 


'  'M'  iiriHii 

r|iiii  liiiiii 

llliiull: 
1*11  1"     ,■■, 
llllllHi! 

"liiit:  ^ 


till   i,!  «! 


How  can  there  be  a  siege  of 


be  cut  down,"  suggested  Mrs.  Lovell ; 
"  and  if  so,  what  a  pity  !  They  were  so 
beautiful." 

"  O  no,  it  must  have  something  to 
do  with  the  war.  Is  it  possible  that 
they  can  be  preparing  for  a  siege  of 
Paris?" 

"  A  siege  of  Paris  !  what  utter  non- 
sense ! 
Paris  ? " 

"  Why,  this  war  may  be  unfortunate 
for  the  French." 

"  O,  that  's  absurd  !  The  French 
made  the  war  for  political  purposes. 
It 's  all  the  Emperor,  Maudie.  He  's 
a  wonderful  man.  And  it  was  only  for 
political  purposes.  It's  just  the  same 
here  as  an  election  is  with  us." 

"  I  wish  I  'd  seen  some  of  the  papers. 
Have  you  seen  any,  Georgie  ?  " 

"  The  papers  ?  O  dear,  no  !  I  never 
read  the  papers." 

"  I  remember,"  said  Maud,  thought- 
fully, "  I  saw  a  paper  the  other  day  and 
read  a  little  in  it.  I  did  n't  take  much 
interest  in  it  at  the  time,  but  I  remem- 
ber now  that  something  was  said  about 
some  defeats  of  tlie  French,  and  that 
the  defeats  would  be  made  good." 

"  Defeats  ?  Of  the  French  ?  O,  non- 
sense !     The  Prussians,  you  mean  ? " 

"  O  no  !  I  mean  the  French.  Some- 
thing of  that  sort  must  have  happened. 
And  now,  when  I  think  of  it,  the  paper 
certainly  spoke  of  the  Prussians  being 
in  France,  —  for  it  said  that  none  of 
them  should  ever  escape." 

"The  Prussians  in  France?"  sa'd 
Mrs.  Lovell,  thoughtfully.  "Well,  real- 
ly, Maudie,  that  is  better  than  I  ex- 
pected. How  very  nice  that  would  b?, 
if  it  were  really  so.  Why,  we  would 
have  a  chance  to  see  a  battle,  perhaps, 
who  knows  ?  Why,  do  you  know, 
Maudie,  the  greatest  desire  of  my  life 
has  always  been  to  see  a  battle.  I 
think  I  'd  go  miles  to  see  one.  Yes, 
miles.  Why,  if  I  really  thought  the 
Prussians  were  here,  I  think  I  'd  try 
to  find  out  in  what  direction  they  were 
coming,  and  engage  rooms  there  to  see 
the  battle.  That 's  the  v;ay  Byron  did 
at  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  and  he  wrote 
such  a  lovely  poem  ;  not  that  I  could 


write  a  poem,  but  then,  really,  Maudie, 
I  sometimes  think,  do  you  know,  that  I 
have  the  soul  of  a  poet." 

Maud  did  not  seem  to  be  listening. 


expression  was    on    her 


An  anxious 
face. 

"  It 's  horrible,"  she  exclaimed,  — 
"  it 's  too  horrible." 

"  Horrible  !     What 's  horrible  ?  " 

"  Why,  if  the  Prussians  should  really 
be  coming  to  Paris." 

"  Nonsense." 

"Well,  I  really  begin  to  think  that 
there  must  be  some  danger  of  it.  The 
more  I  think  of  it  the  more  certain 
I  feel.  The  papers  spoke  so  very 
strangely." 

"  The  papers  !  But,  Maudie,  I  hope 
you  don't  think  anything  of  what  the 
papers  say.  They  're  always  saying 
all  sorts  of  things,  you  know.  For 
my  part,  I  never  believe  anything  that 
the  papers  say,  and  I  never  read 
them." 

"  But  look  at  all  these  preparations. 
Don't  they  look  as  though  the  people 
here  expected  a  siege  or  something  ?  " 

"  My  dear  Mauiie,"  said  Mrs.  Lov- 
ell, confidently,  '•  the  people,  as  you 
call  them,  have  rothing  whatever  to  do 
with  these  preparations.  It 's  all  the 
Emperor.  He  does  it  for  effect.  He 
has  some  deep-laid  plan.  He  's  always 
contriving  something  or  other  to  ex- 
cite the  Parisians.  The  Parisians  need 
some  excitement.  Now  the  Emperor 
sees  that  they  are  tired  to  death  of 
fi'/c's  and  shows  and  splendor,  so  he 
is  defacing  the  statues,  putting  up  bar- 
ricades, and  chopping  down  the  trees 
to  create  a  grand  sensation.  He  in- 
tends to  make  himself  very  popular  by 
all  this.  He  is  getting  up  the  pretence 
of  a  siege,  and  then  he  will  come  and 
pretend  to  save  Paris.  Something  of 
that  sort  is  his  intention  I  know. 
That 's  the  way  he  always  does,  you 
know,  and  that 's  the  only  way  he  can 
manage  to  retain  his  power  over  such 
an  extraordinary  people  as  the  Pari- 
sians." 

To  this  somewhat  singular  theory 
Maud  had  no  olijcctions  to  make,  and 
Mrs.   Lovell,  finding  the  course  clear 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


ung  of 

know. 

»s,  you 


e 


before  her,  expatiated  upon  this  theme 
till  they  returned. 

Not  long  after  reaching  the  house,  a 
gentleman  called.  He  did  not  give  his 
name,  but  as  this  was  the  only  caller 
they  had  thus  far  known,  both  of  the 
ladies  were  filled  with  an  excitement 
which,  under  the  circumstances,  was 
not  at  all  unnatural.  At  first,  Maud 
thought  of  Carrol ;  but  a  little  reflec- 
tion showed  her  that  such  a  thing  could 
scarcely  be  ;  and  so  she  checked  at 
once  that  rush  of  eager  emotion  which 
was  hurrying  her  away  to  greet  the 
caller,  and  experienced  such  a  reaction 
of  feeling  that  she  resolved  not  to  go 
down  at  all.  But  with  Mrs.  Lovell  the 
excitement  was  unalloyed,  and  there 
was  nothing  to  disturb  the  pleasing 
expectation  that  filled  her  mind. 

"  So  you  won't  come,  Maudie,"  she 
said,  as  she  was  leaving  the  room. 
"  Well,  perhaps  you  'd  better  not.  You 
never  could  bear  him,  you  were  always 
so  prejudiced ;  though,  for  my  part,  I 
really  think  that  you  do  injustice  to 
Mr.  Grimes's  many  admirable  quali- 
ties." 

There  was  a  sweet  smile  on  Mrs. 
Lovell's  face  as  she  entered  the  room, 
and  her  face  had  an  expression  of 
quiet  yet  cordial  welcome  as  she 
looked  toward  the  caller.  But  the  mo- 
ment that  she  caught  sight  of  the  call- 
er, a  complete  change  came  over  her  ; 
the  smile  died  away  ;  the  look  of  cor- 
dial welcome  vanished  ;  and  there  re- 
mained only  a  look  of  cold  surprise. 
For  the  person  before  her  was  not 
Grimes  at  all. 

He  was  a  sharjj-featured  man,  and 
was  dressed  in  the  uniform  of  the 
National  Guard,  which,  however,  did 
not  give  him,  by  any  means,  the  air  of 
the  true  professional  militairc.  On  the 
contrary,  his  clothes  were  a  little  ill- 
fitting,  and  he  showed  some  uneasiness 
about  his  sword.  As  Mrs.  Lovell  en- 
tered, he  sprang  toward  her  with  much 
animation  and  an  air  of  the  greatest 
empresscment. 

"  Madame,"  said  he,  "  I  am  mos 
happy  zat  I  haf  ze  honneur  to  salute 
you." 


And  with  these  words  he  held  out 
both  hands.  Mrs.  Lovell,  however,  did 
not  at  all  reciprocate  this  ardor.  On 
the  contrary,  she  regarded  him  coolly, 
taking  no  notice  whatever  of  his  hands, 
and  then  gave  a  stiffish  bow.  She 
said  nothing,  nor  did  she  offer  him  a 
chair,  or  show  him  any  civility  what- 
ever. Now,  if  it  was  her  disappoint- 
ment about  Mr.  Grimes  that  elicited 
such  rudeness  from  such  a  gracious  lady, 
then  her  disappointment  must  have 
been  very  bitter  to  her ;  but  if  it  was 
merely  her  dislike  to  Du  Potiron  him- 
self that  animated  her,  then  her  dislike 
was  wonderfully  strong  to  be  felt  by 
such  a  kind-hearted  and  gentle-man- 
nered person. 

But  Du  Potiron  did  not  notice  this, 
or,  if  he  did,  he  quite  ignored  it.  On 
the  contrary,  he  proceeded  to  go 
through  a  series  of  complicated  move- 
ments, which  seemed  to  show  that 
monsieur  was  less  a  gentleman  than  a 
dancing-master.  First  he  put  his  right 
hand  on  his  heart,  then  he  made  a  great 
sweep  of  his  hat  with  his  left  hand, 
and  then  he  bowed  so  low  that  he  went 
quite  beneath  the  line  of  Mrs.  Lovell's 
vision.  After  which  he  raised  him- 
self, still  keeping  his  hand  on  his 
heart,  and  made  another  flourish  with 
his  hat. 

"Madame,"  said  he,  "pardon  me, 
but  I  sail  haf  to  apologize  zat  I  haf  not 
pay  my  respects  before." 

"  O,  apologies  are  quite  unneces- 
sary !  "  said  Mrs.  Lovell,  quickly.  "  I 
did  not  expect  it  at  all,  I  assure  you." 

"  Ze  raison  haf  been,"  continued  Du 
Potiron,  "  I  haf  not  been  able  to  find 
ze  place  unteel  zees  moment.  Mais  Ji 
prdsent,  I  sail  be  mos  happay." 

Mrs.  Lovell  made  no  remark  at  this, 
but  still  stood  regarding  him  with  a 
cool  and  easy  stare  that  would  have 
been  embarrassing  to  any  one  else. 

"  Moreovaire,  madame,"  continued 
Du  Potiron,  "  I  haf  to  offaire  nies  apol- 
ogies zat  I  haf  not  ze  honneur  to  pay 
mes  respects  to  you  on  ze  voyage, — 
mais  voyez-vcus,  madame,  cette  mal- 
heureuse  bouleversement  et  enfeeble- 
ment,  cette  je  ne  sais  quoi  du  mal  de 


II' 


If 


66 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


mi 

{II  111  lll: 

''^ll'ltwH 


II'  I  M  HI.  ml' 
■  Hi  ii:  J;: 
I  l;i   l;    illil 

|:  "        I': 

tm,.  ir. 


jiiiid 
iiiiii. 


mer  liaf  quite  all  ze  taime  put  him  out 
of  my  powaire  to  saluter  you.  Hein  ? 
Comprenez  ? " 

"  Your  remarks  are  totally  unintelli- 
gible, monsieur,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell, "  and 
I  am  still  at  a  loss  to  understand  the 
object  of  this  visit." 

"  Moi,"  said  Du  Potiron,  "  I  am 
Frenchman.  Un  Frangais  is  nevaire 
noting  in  ze  sea,  but  in  ze  land  he  be- 
come heemself.  Mais  vous,  madame, 
I  haf  ze  hope  sincerement  zat  you  haf 
had  ze  voyage  plaisant." 

"  Quite,  thanks,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell, 
whose  patience  was  beginning  to  give 
way. 

"  Et  .\  present,"  continued  the  un- 
terrified  one,  "  ees  eet  youair  intention 
tc  haf  a  stay  long  ? " 

"  \V«  have  not  decided." 

"Ah,  you  haf  ze  intention  to  leave 
soon,  probablement." 

"  Not  that  I  am  aware  of." 

"  Aha,  zat  is  good,  foinc,  brave,  sage, 
noble,  magnifique  !  "  cried  Du  Potiron, 
in  an  enthusiastic  outburst,  which 
amazed  Mrs.  Lovell.  "  Ma  foi !  So 
you  haf  no  fear.  C'est  charmant ;  so 
you  weel  stay.  Aha .''  Bien,"  he  con- 
tinued, suddenly  subsiding  from  a  tone 
of  exultation  to  the  manner  of  a  dry  lo- 
gician,—  "bien,  for  see  you,  madame, 
Zaire  ees  no  dang-jaire.  Zees  war  sail 
go  on,  and  la  France  moos  be  vic- 
torr.  Ze  Republique  Frangaise  ees  in- 
vincible !  Eh  bien.  So  you  sail  stay. 
Eh  ?  Ver  well.  Zen  you  sail  see  ze  tri- 
omphc,  ze  exultation,  ze  enthousiasme 
irrepressible  !  You  sail  see  Guillaume 
a  prisoner,  a  captif,  and  Moltke  and 
Bismarck  and  all  ze  entire  army  Prus- 
sian —  " 

All  this  was  more  unintelligible  than 
ever  to  Mrs.  Lovell ;  and  as  her  patience 
was  now  quite  exhausted,  she  resolved 
to  retire. 

"  Excuse  me,"  said  she,  quietly,  "  but, 
really,  I  know  nothing  of  politics,  and  I 
have  to  go." 

"  Ah,  mille  pardons,"  cried  Du  Poti- 
ron, hastily  ;  "  what,  you  go  !  Ma  foi. 
RLiis,  permettez-moi.  Ah,  I  am  dis- 
tracte  wit  chagrin  zat  I  haf  not  see  ze 
mces  charmante.    Villa  you  haf  ze  fa- 


vaire  to  kongvay  to  her  ze  mos  ten- 
daire  —  " 

"  I  do  not  understand  you,"  said 
Mrs.  Lovell,  in  a  more  frigid  tone  than 
ever. 

"  Zc  mees  —  ze  mees  —  " 

"  The  what  ?  " 

"Ze  charmante  mees." 

"  This  is  quite  unintelligible,"  said 
Mrs.  Lovell. 

"  Mees  Mo,"  persisted  Du  Potiron, 
eagerly,  "  cette  charmante  Mo." 

"  Mo,  —  Mo  ?  "  repeated  Mrs.  Lov- 
ell, in  a  puzzle. 

"  Yaiss — Mees   Mo  — Deetcot— " 

"  Miss  Maud  Ileathcote,"  repeated 
Mrs.  Lovell,  who  at  length  made  out 
the  name.     "  What  of  her,  pray  ?  " 

"  Oui,  oui,"  cried  Du  Potiron,  eager- 
ly, "  le  Mces  Mo  Deetcot ;  I  beg  you 
to  kongvay  to  cette  charmante  Mo  ze 
assurance  of  my  esteem  ze  mos  dis- 
tingud,  and  my  affection  ze  mos  ten- 
daire." 

At  this  Mrs.  Lovell's  face  flushed 
with  indignation.  She  looked  at  him 
for  a  moment  as  though  preparing  some 
severe  rejoinder,  but  finally  seemed  to 
think  better  of  it,  and  then  turning 
without  a  word  or  even  a  nod  she  left 
the  room. 

At  this  inexcusable  rudeness.  Mon- 
sieur du  Potiron  stood  for  a  moment 
staring  after  her.  Then  he  shook  his 
fist  at  the  door  through  which  she  had 
retreated.  Then  he  painfully  gathered 
up  his  sword,  and  in  as  graceful  a  man- 
ner as  possible  left  the  house. 

Great  was  Maud's  surprise  at  hear- 
ing from  Mrs.  Lovell  who  the  caller  had 
been.  Great  also  was  her  amazement 
at  Du  Potiron's  impudence  in  still  hint- 
ing at  the  mistaken  acceptance  by 
claiming  her  in  that  way ;  and  the 
contempt  which  she  expressed  was 
limitless  and  immeasurable.  But  in 
the  midst  of  all  this  the  thought  oc- 
curred to  her  that  possibly  Du  Potiron 
might  not  have  received  the  explana- 
tory letter  which  she  had  sent,  and 
might  still  consider  her  in  all  serious- 
ness as  his  fiancde.  She  mentioned 
this  to  Mrs.  Lovell,  but  that  lady  did 
not  deign  to  consider  the  matter. 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


67 


"  What  possible  difference  can  it 
make,  Maudie,"  said  siie,  "  wliat  that 
person  thinks  ?  He  will  never  come  in 
our  way.  You  know  I  always  disap- 
proved of  your  explanations,  and  cer- 
tainly I  should  not  like  you  to  commit 
yourself  to  any  more." 

In  spite  of  this,  Maud  was  somewhat 
troubled  as  to  cert  in  puzzling  things 
which  Du  Potiron's  visit  had  sug- 
gested. 

On  the  following  day  they  were  out 
driving  when  an  incident  occurred  which 
had  the  effect  of  giving  a  deeper  mean- 
ing to  Du  Potiron's  call  than  before, 
and  of  increasing  those  puzzling  ques- 
tions to  which  his  visit  had  given  rise. 
This  was  that  incident  before  referred 
to,  —  their  meeting  with  Carrol.  The 
surprise  was  as  great  to  Maud  as  to 
him,  and  so  was  the  embarrassment. 
Neither  one  knew  that  the  other  was 
in  Paris.  Carrol  had  supposed  that 
the  ladies  had  some  time  ago  fled  from 
this  place  of  danger  ;  and  Maud  had 
not  supposed  that  Carrol  had  come  to 
Paris  at  all.  But  now  each  one  knew 
tiiat  the  other  was  here  in  this  city, 
within  reach  and  within  call. 

But  their  discovery  of  one  another's 
proximity  created  very  ditTerent  feel- 
ings in  each.  The  effect  produced 
upon  Carrol  has  been  mentioned.  But 
upon  Maud  tliis  discovery  had  a  differ- 
ent result.  It  at  once  gave  a  new 
meaning  to  tlie  visit  of  Du  Potiron. 
One  thing  from  that  visit  was  evident, 
and  it  was  this,  that  he  still  regarded 
her  as  hisy/(;«f<.v.  The  only  conclusion 
that  she  could  draw  from  tliat  was  that 
he  had  not  received  her  letter  of  ex- 
planation. And  if  that  were  so,  it  now 
seemed  equally  probable  that  Carrol 
had  not  received  the  letter  which  she 
had  sent  to  him.  The  very  thought  of 
tills  agitated  her  most  profoundly,  and 
gc: ve  rise  to  a  thousand  wild  plans  of 
finding  him  out  even  now,  and  of  learn- 
ing for  herself  in  a  personal  interview 
what  Carrol's  sentiments  really  were. 

The  greatest  puzzle  of  all  was  in  th.e 
voyage.  Tiiey  had  all  come  over  to- 
gether. Carrol,  as  she  thought,  had 
evidently  followed  her,  from  what  mo- 


tive she  could  not  imagine.  He  now 
seemed  to  have  followed  her  even  to 
Paris.  Du  Potiron  had  come  too,  and 
it  now  appeared  as  if  the  Frenchman 
had  come'with  the  purpose  of  urging 
his  claims  upon  her.  She  now  began 
to  think  it  possible  that  from  some 
cause  or  other  her  explanatory  letters 
had  not  reached  either  of  them,  but 
that  both  had  crossed  the  ocean  un- 
der a  totally  wrong  impression.  This 
would  account,  as  she  thought,  for  Du 
Potiron's  pursuit,  and  for  Carrol's 
inflexible  wrath.  While  thinking  of 
the.se  things  she  could  not  help  won- 
dering whether  they  had  met  or  not  on 
board  the  steamer ;  but  a  moment's  re- 
flection showed  her  that  they  could  only 
regard  one  another  as  enemies,  and 
that  each  would  avoid  any  intercourse 
with  the  other.  It  was  therefore  clear- 
ly impossible  that  they  could  have  had 
any  explanation. 

These  ideas  created  the  most  in- 
tense excitement  in  the  mind  of  Maud. 
It  was  a  misunderstanding  which  could 
so  easily  be  cleared  up.  Carrol  was 
only  laboring  under  a  delusion.  If  she 
could  only  see  him,  how  quickly  she 
could  explain.  So  now  the  question 
of  her  life  became  how  to  see  him. 
Should  she  write  ?  But  she  did  n't 
know  his  address.  It  seemed  better 
to  wait,  and  keep  a  constant  outlook 
so  as  to  secure  a  personal  interview. 

Meantime  she  kept  her  thoughts  and 
resolutions  to  herself,  for  Mrs.  Lov- 
ell's  want  of  sympathy  with  Carrol  pre- 
vented her  from  being  of  any  service 
in  securing  Maud's  desires. 


XIV. 

AN   AGGRESSIVE  CALL. 

At  length  the  long-expected  event 
took  place.  The  last  effort  to  avert  it 
had  failed.  Tiie  Prussians  were  ap- 
proaching and  the  siege  was  at  hand. 
The  preparations  for  that  siege  had 
reached  their  last  stage  and  their  cli- 
max. The  full  measure  of  the  coming 
trial  might  be  seen  is  the  vast  accu- 
mulations of  provisions,  the  immense 


Hi; 
in 

n 


m 


I'll! 

i' 


68 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


'I  III*  til 
■;;;5!l  "'■'''l 


"'!l'MT|ll|li 

2  i  at'  ^'i* ' 

m 

m 


^n 


heaps  of  grain,  and  the  countless  herds 
of  cattle.  The  flight  of  the  people 
became  more  desperate ;  the  influx  of 
the  peasantry  also  reached  its  height. 
The  overburdened  cars  carried  away 
all  who  could  go.  The  government 
departed.  The  foreign  ambassadors 
departed,  leaving  Minister  Washburne 
alone  to  face  the  situation.  At  length 
the  last  railroad  was  intercepted,  th», 
last  telegraphic  wire  cut,  and  Paris  lay 
shut  out  from  the  world. 

In  the  mean  time  Mrs.  Lovell  and 
Maud  had  been  living  in  the  same  way, 
varying  the  quiet  of  their  seclusion  by 
a  daily  drive.  Maud  did  not  again  see 
Carrol  in  the  streets,  nor  did  Mrs.  Lov- 
ell see  Grimes  anywhere.  Their  atten- 
tion was  occasionally  arrested  by  some 
new  construction  bearing  upon  the  de- 
fence of  the  city,  or  by  the  march  of 
some  larger  body  of  troops  than  usual ; 
but  these  things  did  not  excite  any 
very  deep  interest.  Mrs.  Lovell's 
opinion  as  to  the  state  of  affairs  in 
Paris,  and  the  perfect  safety  of  that 
city,  she  had  already  given,  nor  had 
she  changed  it  ;  and  Maud's  one  en- 
grossing thought  was  the  discovery  of 
Carrol  among  the  crowds  that  thronged 
the  streets.  And  so  it  was  that  Paris 
was  shut  up  at  last,  without  the  actual 
fact  being  even  suspected  by  either  of 
the  ladies. 

One  day,  after  they  had  returned  from 
a  drive,  a  caller  wns  announced.  This 
time  their  thoughts  at  once  turned  to 
Du  Potiron,  and  they  sent  word  that 
they  were  not  at  home.  Upon  this 
the  caller,  who  had  not  sent  up  his 
name  before,  sent  in  his  card.  With 
some  curiosity  they  examined  it.  It 
was  simply,  M.  le  Comte  du  Poti- 
ron. 

"  His  impertinence  is  certainly  en- 
gaging," remarked  Mrs.  Lovell,  quietly, 
"  but  what  he  can  possibly  expect  to 
gain  by  it  I  cannot  imagine." 

With  this  she  sent  back  word  that 
she  was  engaged. 

But  the  irrepressible  Du  Potiron  was 
not  to  be  so  easily  shaken  off.  He  at 
once  sent  back  a,  most  urgent  request 
for  an  interview,— just  for  a  little  mo- 


ment,—  it  was  about  matters  of  great 
importance. 

At  this  persistence  Mrs.  Lovell  was 
quite  annoyed,  but  at  the  same  time 
the  message  which  he  sent  was  adajit- 
ed  to  excite  a  little  curiosity,  so  she 
checked  the  reply  wh-^h  she  was  on 
the  point  of  sending,  and  decided  on 
seeing  for  herself  what  he  wanted. 

"  I  shall  see  what  he  wants,"  she 
said,  "  and  I  must  at  the  same  time 
put  a  stop  to  his  silly  persistency  in 
visiting  us.  I  never  liked  him.  I 
simply  tolerated  him  at  Montreal ;  but 
here  I  don't  wish  to  recognize  him." 

With  these  words  Mrs.  Lovell  went 
down.  Du  Potiron  was  waiting  there, 
dressed  in  the  uniform  of  the  National 
Guard,  as  on  the  last  occasion.  He 
advanced  as  before  with  outstretched 
hands,  and  with  an  enthusiastic  smile, 
just  as  if  he  and  Mrs.  Lovell  were 
warm  and  intimate  friends  ;  just  as  if 
their  last  meeting  had  been  perfectly 
delightful  to  each  of  them,  and  this  one 
was  to  be  the  same. 

Mrs.  Lovell's  cool  demeanor,  how- 
ever, had  the  efiect  of  checking  his  ad- 
vance, and,  as  before,  he  stopped  and 
bowed  very  elaborately. 

"  Allow  me  to  haf  ze  honneur  to  sa- 
luter  you,  madame,  an  to  expresser  ze 
gratification  eet  geefs  me  to  fin  you 
here.  Eet  ees  an  epoch  in  ze  histoire 
of  ze  race  humaine." 

"  Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  inform 
me  to  what  I  am  indebted  for  this 
visit  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Lovell.  "  You 
stated  that  you  had  something  of  im- 
portance to  speak  of." 

"  Ah  —  bien  —  bon  —  oui  —  vrai," 
replied  Du  Potiron,  rapidly.  "  One 
moment.  I  mus  congratuler  you  on 
your  courage.  Eet  ees  sublime,  magni- 
fique,  colossal,  enorme." 

"  I  do  not  understand  you,"  said 
Mrs.  Lovell,  with  some  show  of  tem- 
per. "  You  have  something  more  to 
speak  of  than  this." 

"  Eh  bien.  I  wish,  madame,  to  know 
eef  I  sal  haf  ze  honneur  of  to  see  ze 
charmante  Mo  —  " 

"  If  you  mean  Miss  I^^athcote,  sir," 
said  Mrs.  Lovell,  loftily,    '  I  have  to 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


69 


inform  you  that  she  declines  seeing 
you." 

"  Quoi !  Grand  ciel  !  "  ejaculated 
Du  Potiron.  "  Declines  ?  Mo  !  Moi  ! 
Mo  —  la  charmante  Mo  —  declines. 
Madame,  zat  ces  not  possible." 

"  If  you  have  nothing  more  to  say," 
said  Mrs.  Lovell,  "  I  shall  now  excuse 
myself."  ' 

"  Mais  ! "  cried  Du  Potiron.  "  Mo  ! 
—  vain  sail  I  see  her  ?  Mo  —  I  vish  to 
see  Mo." 

"  You  are  not  to  see  her  at  all,"  said 
Mrs.  Lovell,  abruptly. 

"  Mais,  you  meestake." 

"  Not  at  all.  It  is  you  who  are  mis- 
taken. You  do  not  appear  to  under- 
stand the  ordinary  usages  of  society." 

"  Moi !  Ma  foi,  madame,  zees  ees 
incomprehensible.  I  haf  wait  too  long. 
I  can  wait  no  more.  I  mus  see  her 
some  time.     She  is  mine." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that  ? " 

"  She  is  mine,  I  say,"  repeated  Du 
Potiron  "ii  quick,  energetic  tones.  "  She 
is  my  fiancde." 

"  Your  fiancee  ?  What  nonsense  !  " 
cried  Mrs.  Lovell.  "  Wiiat  do  you 
mean  ?  You  are  not  acquainted  with 
her  at  all." 

"  Mais,  madame,  you  meestake  your- 
self. She  is  my  fiancife.  I  haf  propose 
at  Montreal.  She  accept  me.  I  haf 
ze  lettre  of  acceptance.  She  write  wit 
affection  and  empressement.  She  con- 
fess herself  charme  wit  me,  an  I  haf 
not  seen  her  since.  An  so,  madame, 
1  now  haf  to  wait  for  her  appearance." 

"  Why,  really,  this  is  too  absurd," 
said  Mrs.  Lovell.  "  I  am  aware  that 
you  p''oposed  at  Montreal  when  you 
really  had  no  acquaintance  with  her, 
and  she  liad  none  with  you,  and  also 
that  she  declined  your  proposal." 

"  Decline  ?     No,  no,  no,"  cried  D 
Potiron.     "  She  accept." 

"  Accept  ?  O,  you  allude  to  that 
first  letter  !  But  that  was  a  mistake ; 
she  explained  all  that." 

"  First  lettaire  ?  "  repeated  Du  Poti- 
ron ;  "  meestake  ?  explain  ?  I  not  com- 
prehend you,  madame.  I  only  know 
zis,  zat  ze  charmante  Mo  haf  accept 
me,  an  to  prove  eet  I  haf  ze  lettaire 


veech  I  kip  by  my  heart  toujours. 
Voila ! " 

And  with  these  words  he  unbut- 
toned the  breast  of  his  coat,  and,  in- 
serting his  hand  into  the  inside  pocket, 
he  proceeded  to  draw  forth  a  letter 
very  solemnly  and  slowly.  This  letter 
he  surveyed  for  a  few  moments  with  an 
air  of  pensive  yet  melodramatic  devo- 
tion, after  which  he  pressed  it  to  his 
lips.     Then  he  looked  at  Mrs.  Lovell. 

"  What  letter  is  that  ?  "  asked  Mrs. 
Lovell. 

"  Ze  lettaire  of  Mo,  —  she  accept  me. 
Do  you  doubt  ?    You  sail  read." 

"  O,  you  mean  that  first  letter.  But 
did  n't  you  get  her  other  explanatory 
note  ?  " 

"  Explanation  ?  what  explanation  ? 
No,  madame.  Zis  ees  ze  only  lettaire  I 
haf  receif  from  ze  charmante  Mo.  Zere 
ees  notin  to  explain  — " 

"  But  that  letter  was  all  a  mistake," 
said  Mrs.  Lovell.  "  It  was  never  in- 
tended for  you  at  all." 

Du  Potiron  smiled. 

"  Ah,  I  see,"  he  said,  "  zat  ze  char- 
mante Mo  haf  deceif  you,  —  a  ruse. 
Aha  !  Eh  bien.  I  inform  you  now  of 
ze  fact." 

"  Pooh,  it 's  too  absurd.  Let  me  see 
that  letter,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell,  advan- 
cing nearer.  Du  Potiron  instinctively 
drew  back  his  hand,  as  though  he  was 
afraid  that  she  intended  to  snatch  it 
away,  but  the  action  and  the  fear  lasted 
for  an  instant  only.  Then  he  held  out 
the  letter  with  a  polite  bow  and  an 
air  of  great  magnanimity. 

Mrs.  Lovell  took  the  letter  and  read 
it  carelessly.  Then  she  looked  at  the 
opening  words,  and  finally  at  the  ad- 
dress on  the  envelope.  After  which 
she  said,  coolly  :  "  It 's  rather  unfortu- 
nate that  you  never  received  Miss 
Heathcote's  other  note.  You  left  Mon- 
treal very  suddenly,  I  think,  or  you 
would  have  certainly  got  it.  The  other 
letter  was  an  explanation  of  this.  For 
you  know  this  is  all  an  absurd  mis- 
take." 

"A  meestake?"  said  Du  Potiron, 
with  an  incredulous  smile. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  LovelL    "  My  sis- 


70 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


I  '  '■•  III  (lllj 

II  j,|,|,  (»'!■! 

I'll'"''*! 

mm 


\ 


mil! 


m  (■!' 


M 


tcr  explained  it  all.  This  was  intended 
for  anotiier  person." 

"iVIa  foi,  madame,  you  must  sec  zat 
Ees  not  possible." 

"  I  will  soon  show  you,"  said  Mrs. 
Lovell ;  and  witli  these  words  she  di- 
rected his  attention  to  tlie  opening 
words.  These  words,  written  in  IMaud's 
angular  hand,  were  made  up  out  of  let- 
ters that  were  wide-spread,  with  open 
loops,  and  not  particularly  legible. 
They  were  intended  to  be,  "  My  dear 
Mr.  Carrol."  As  Mrs.  Lovell  looked 
at  them  now,  she  saw  that  they  might 
be  read,  "  My  dear  M.  Count." 

"  What  are  those  words  .' "  asked 
Mrs.  Lovell,  pointing  to  tiiem.  Vhat 
do  you  take  them  to  be  ?  " 

Du  Potiron  looked  at  them  fcr  a  mo- 
ment, and  then  said,  "  J/y  dear  Mon- 
sieur le  Comte.  " 

"  But  it  is  n't  anything  of  the  kind," 
said  Mrs.  Lovell. 

Du  Potiron  started,  and  looked  at 
her  uneasily. 

"It's  My  dear  Mr.  Carrol,'''  said 
Mrs.  Lovell,  "and  you  have  been  utter- 
ly mistaken." 

At  the  mention  of  this  name  Du 
Potiron  started  back  and  gave  a  hur- 
ried look  around.  His  old  look  of  easy 
self-sufficiency  passed  away  altogether, 
and  was  succeeded  by  an  air  of  trouble 
and  apprehension. 

"Carrol!"  he  repeated.  "Am  I  to 
understand,  madame,  zat  you  say  zees 
lettaire  was  intend  for  I\L  Carrol  ? " 

"  Certainly  ;  you  may  see  the  name 
there  for  yourself,"  said  she. 

Du  Potiron  looked  at  it  earnestly  for 
some  time,  and  then  looked  at  Mrs. 
Lovell. 

"Eet  ees  not  possible,"  said  he. 
"Zees  lettaire  was  for  me,  and  zc  char- 
mante  Mo  ees  mine,  an  sail  be  mine. 
Zees  Carrol  haf  notin  to  do  wis  her. 
Moi !  I  am  ze  one  she  wrote  ze  lettaire. 
Bien  !  an  now,  madame,  I  haf  ze  hon- 
neur  to  requess  ze  plaisir  of  to  see  ze 
charmante  Mo." 

"  Very  well,  sir,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell ; 
"  since  you  refuse  to  take  my  explana- 
tion, I  can  only  inform  you  that  Miss 
Heathcote  has   no  acquaintance  with 


you  whatever,  and  will  not  see  you 
at  all." 

"  ^Lais,  madame,  I  moos  see  her.  I 
haf  come  to  take  her  ondaire  my  pro- 
tection." 

"  Your  protection  !"  repeated  Mrs. 
Lovell,  in  amazement  at  such  pro- 
longed and  sustained  impudence. 

"Oui,  madame,"  continued  Du  I'oti- 
ron.  '•  Eet  ees  ver  nccessairc.  "\'ou 
are  hot  in  danger.  Eet  ees  a  time  of 
peril.  You  haf  allow  yourself  to  re- 
main here,  and  not  knr'w  zat  danger. 
You  haf  no  protector,  an  eet  ees  ncces- 
sairc for  me  to  interpose  to  save  you 
from  ze  enemy." 

"  Danger  !  enemy  !  How  perfectly 
absurd!"  said  Mrs.  Lovell. 

"  Madame,"  said  Du  Potiron,  "  you 
are  in  great  danger.  Paris  is  surrounde 
by  ze  Prusse.  Ze  siege  haf  begun.  Ze 
bombardement  moos  commenccr.  Ze 
shells  sail  fall  on  zese  houses,  an  zis 
cety  sail  become  one  grand  fortification. 
Zees  ees  no  place  for  ladies.  You 
should  haf  fly  before ;  but  since  you 
remain,  I  mus  protect  you  from  ze 
danger  zat  you  encounter." 

Mrs.  Lovell  was  certainly  startled  at 
this,  though  she  would  not  confess  it. 

"Allow  me  to  remark,  sir,"  said  she, 
after  a  short  pause,  "that,  even  if  there 
should  be  any  danger,  which  I  utterly 
doubt,  I  should  not  put  myself  under 
your  protection.  I  should  be  content 
with  the  protection  of  tlie  government." 

"  Ze  govairnement .-'  "  said  Du  Poti- 
ron ;  "  but  ze  govairnement  ees  gone." 

"Gone!" 

"  Yes,  to  Tours ;  to  escape  ze 
Prusse." 

"  This  is  absurd,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell, 
in  utter  incredulity.  "  But  even  if  it 
were  true,  what  of  that  ?  Tiicre  is  the 
British  Ambassador." 

"  Ma  foi  !  "  cried  Du  Potiron.  "  You 
seem  to  be  ignorant  of  everytin,  ma- 
dame. Ees  eet  possible  you  don't 
know  zat  ze  British  Ambassador  haf 
run  away  from  ze  Prusse,  an  all  ze 
oder  ambassadors  aussi  ? " 

At  this  Mrs.  Lovell  broke  down. 

"  Monsieur,"  said  she,  stiflly,  "  all 
this  is  utterly  preposterous.     It  is  use- 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


71 


ze 


less  for  me  to  prolong  this  interview. 
I  can  only  say  tliat,  if  tliese  statements 
of  yours  are  true,  I  sliall  soon  find  it 
out,  and  I  shall  know  what  to  do,  with- 
out requiring  any  assistance  from  you." 

And  witii  tlicse  words  Mrs.  Lovell 
retired,  leaving  Uu  Potiron  a  prey  to 
various  conflicting  feelings,  prominent 
among  which  was  a  new  interest  in 
Maud's  letter,  which  he  scrutinized  for 
some  time  before  he  departed. 

Mrs.  Lovell  did  not  go  back  to  Maud 
at  once.  Du  Potiron's  startling  infor- 
mation had  quite  terrified  her.  She 
had  not  the  faintest  idea  of  the  real 
state  of  things,  and  was  fully  conscious 
of  her  ignorance.  Under  the  circum- 
stances, her  first  impulse  was  to  find 
out  the  truth  ;  and  so  she  went  at  once 
to  see  Madame  Guimarin. 

She  found  the  good  madame  very 
anxious  and  very  agitated.  As  she 
heard  Mrs.  Lovell's  questions  her  agi- 
tation increased  greatly,  and  it  was 
some  time  before  she  could  make  any 
reply.  She  burst  into  tears,  and  sat 
sobbing  convulsively.  At  last  she  was 
able  to  find  words,  and  told  Mrs.  Lov- 
ell the  whole  truth.  She  informed  her 
that  her  house  had  been  empty  for  a 
long  time,  most  of  the  boarders  having 
fled  in  order  to  avoid  the  troubles  that 
seemed  to  be  ahead.  She  had  received 
Mrs.  Lovell  most  eagerly,  seeing  in 
these  two  boarders  her  last  hope  of 
escape  from  utter  ruin.  She  had  al- 
ways put  the  best  appearance  upon 
things,  and  had  never  allowed  any  of 
the  city  papers  to  lie  about.  Mrs. 
Lovell  would  not  have  read  them  if  she 
had  seen  them  ;  but  she  did  not  even 
see  them.  Maud  had  caught  a  glimpse 
of  one  or  two  old  ones,  but  was  not 
able  to  get  at  the  truth.  Thus  Madame 
Guimarin  had  kept  out  of  her  house  all 
indications  of  danger,  and  her  two  new 
boarders  had  remained.  But  the  ap- 
proach of  the  final  catastrophe  had 
overcome  Madame  Guimarin  herself. 
She  saw  a  long  blockade,  high  prices, 
scant  markets,  shops  closed,  street- 
fights,  mob  rule,  and  a  hundred  other 
calamities.  Now  that  she  had  begun 
to  tell  the  truth,  she  poured  it  all  forth 


without  reserve,  and  Mrs.  Lovell  at 
length  understood  the  fullest  peril  that 
the  most  imaginative  mind  could  attach 
to  her  present  situation. 

In  spite  of  the  landlady's  dark  pic- 
ture, Mrs.  Lovell  was  not  without  re- 
sources. "  I  will  send,"  she  thought, 
"  to  Lord  Lyons,  and  get  a  passport 
from  him,  so  as  to  leave  the  city  at 
once."  Upon  this  resolve  she  acted 
as  soon  as  possible.  On  the  return  of 
her  messenger  she  found,  to  her  con- 
sternation, that  Du  Potiron's  informa- 
tion was  correct,  and  that  the  British 
Ambassador  had  retired  from  the  city. 
Thus  far  she  had  concealed  it  all  from 
Maud  ;  but  now  it  was  neither  judi- 
cious nor  was  it  even  possible  to  keep 
up  any  further  concealment.  So  she 
told  Maud  all,  and  to  her  great  delight 
Maud  listened  to  the  news  without  be- 
ing overwhelmed  or  even  dismayed. 

"  Really,  Maudie  dear,"  cried  Mrs. 
Lovell,  in  a  joyous  tone,  "  this  is  very, 
very  delightful,  to  find  you  take  it  so. 
I  thought  you  'd  be  so  upset,  that  I 
was  afraid  to  tell  you.  This  is  really 
nice  of  you,  and  I  admire  you  no  end 
for  your  bravery  and  courage  and  all 
that.  And  do  you  know,  Maudie,  for 
my  part,  I  'm  not  half  so  afraid  as  I 
ought  to  be  ;  in  fact,  I  don't  know  but 
that  I  feel  just  a  little  "bV  of  a  kind  of 
pleasant  excitement  in  our  situation. 
I  've  always  had  quite  a  longing  to  be 
in  Paris  during  a  revolution.  It  must 
be  so  nice.  Coup  cTdiais,  you  know, 
Maudie  dear,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing. 
Such  fun  I  And  then,  do  you  know, 
Maudie,  there  's  another  thing  that 
really  has  a  little  to  do,  I  think,  with 
my  feeling  so  very  free  from  fear.  Do 
you  know,  Maudie,  I  've  an  idea  that 
poor  dear  old  Mr.  Grimes  is  wandering 
about  these  streets  somewhere  ;  and, 
raally,  the  very  thought  of  that  great 
big  man  gives  me  a  sense  of  protection 
and  security.  Not,  of  course,  that  I 
think  of  him  in  any  other  way  than  as 
a  possible  assistant  in  case  of  an  emer- 
gency, as  a  last  resort ;  but  then  what 's 
the  use,"  continued  Mrs.  Lovell,  plain- 
tively,—  "what's  the  use  of  talking 
of  him  as  a  last  resort,  when  I  have  n't 


'■111 

>  m 


72 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


ISfti 


lli 


.  Ilil 


111  ii 

Mill 

it!"' 

kill' 
!lnii' 


iii'Ui; 


m 
Iff  I 

Iflr^lllMtS 

(Sis'* 
'iniir  !iii>|{rj! 

|::i«' 


the  faintest  Idea  where  I  could  find  him 
in  case  of  need  ?  " 

Maud  had  no  rei)ly  to  make  to  these 
remarks.  Ilcr  mind  was  preoccupied, 
for  slie  was  wondering  whetiier  Carrol 
had  fled  with  llic  rest,  or  whether  he 
had  remained  behind  to  share  the  for- 
tunes of  the  besieged  city. 

XV. 
MEETING  AND   PARTING. 

Grimes  and  Carrol,  as  we  have 
seen,  made  it  their  sole  occupation  to 
saunter  about  the  public  places,  for 
the  simple  reason  that  this  was  at 
once  the  best  and  most  attractive  thing 
that  they  could  do ;  and  as  neither  cared 
about  company,  each  went  by  himself. 
On  one  of  these  occasions,  Carrol  set 
forth  on  his  daily  pilgrimage  and  wan- 
dered to  the  Champs  Elysifes. 

There  was  almost  always  a  great  gath- 
ering of  people  here,  but  on  this  occa- 
sion the  crowd  was  much  larger  than 
usual.  A  body  of  soldiers  marched 
along,  apparently  on  their  way  to  the 
outside  of  the  city,  consisting  of  foot- 
soldiers  and  cavalry  and  artillery.  From 
time  to  time  the  stirring  strains  of 
some  martial  air  burst  forth  from  a 
passing  band,  and  the  shouts  and  ex- 
clamations of  the  people  arose  without 
ceasing.  It  seemed  to  be  the  impres- 
sion of  the  people  that  these  troops 
were  on  their  way  to  take  part  in  a 
sortie;  and  the  remarks  that  from 
time  to  time  reached  Carrol's  ears 
gave  that  idea  to  him.  He  therefore 
found  something  of  greater  interest 
than  usual  in  the  sight  of  men  who 
iwere  actually  on  the  way  to  attempt 
such  a  serious  thing  as  actual  battle 
with  the  beleaguering  host ;  and  so 
he  wandered  about  from  one  place  'to 
another,  seeking  some  position  from 
which  he  could  gaze  upon  the  scene  to 
the  best  advantage. 

As  he  was  thus  moving  about,  he 
came  upon  the  outskirts  of  a  cluster  of 
people,  and  hesitated  for  a  moment 
about  penetrating  it.  As  he  did  so  he 
noticed  immediately  in  front  of  him  a 


lady,  the  sight  of  whom  sent  a  sudden 
thrill  through  every  nerve.  Her  side 
face  only  was  turned  toward  him,  and 
she  seemed  trying  to  make  her  way 
through  the  crowd  so  as  to  go  down 
tlie  Champs  Elysdes  ;  but  the  very  first 
glance  that  he  gave  showed  him  that 
she  was  no  other  than  Maud  Heath- 
cote  herself.  He  stood  motionless  with 
surprise  for  a  few  moments,  and  then, 
as  the  lady  turned  towards  the  spot 
where  he  was  standing,  he  shrank  back 
and  hastily  concealed  himself. 

The  crowd  here  made  way  for  Maud, 
and  she  passed  tlirough,  walking  so 
close  to  Carrol  tliat  be  could  have 
touched  her.  But  he  contrived  to  con- 
ceal himself  so  effectually  that  she  did 
not  see  him,  and  so  she  walked  on 
without  the  slightest  idea  that  he  was 
so  near.  Carrol  watched  her  closely, 
and  then  stole  away  after  her.  In 
order  that  he  might  not  be  observed,  he 
got  among  some  trees,  and  walked 
behind  them,  moving  from  one  to  the 
other  in  a  very  stealthy  and,  it  must  be 
confessed,  a  very  absurd  manner.  It 
was  not  at  all  difficult  to  do  this,  for 
Maud  walked  very  slowly,  and  at  times 
stopped  and  looked  back.  Carrol  could 
easily  see  by  the  expression  of  her 
face  that  she  was  looking  for  some 
one,  but  who  that  person  could  be  he 
was  at  a  loss  to  conjecture.  Instantly 
his  suspicious  nature  was  aroused. 
Now,  he  thought,  was  the  time  to  find 
out  the  mysterious  motive  that  had 
kept  her  here  in  Paris  ;  and  though 
there  was  a  miserable  sense  of  shame  in 
his  mind,  yet  so  great  was  his  jealousy, 
that  he  kept  up  his  watchful  outlook  for 
some  considerable  time. 

At  length  Maud  went  on  in  a  direc- 
tion where  the  trees  could  no  longer 
afford  a  cover  to  her  jealous  watcher. 
He  \  as  compelled,  therefore,  to  ven- 
ture forth,  and  this  he  did  as  cautious- 
ly as  possible.  There  was  a  crowd  in 
the  distance,  and  toward  this  Maud 
walked,  and  into  the  midst  of  this  she 
disappeared.  Carrol  now  hastened  in 
that  direction  very  rapidly,  fearing  that 
he  might  lose  her  altogether.  Maud 
had  gone  into  the  midst  of  the  crowd, 


ill 


r"! 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


73 


but  on  reacliing  that  place  she  found  it 
impossible  to  go  any  fartlicr.  As  her 
wish  was  to  reach  tiie  other  side,  she 
found  it  necessary  to  retreat  and  go 
around  the  crowd,  or  attempt  the  pas- 
sage fartlicr  on.  Siie  accordingly  turned, 
and  came  back  at  the  very  place  where 
she  liad  entered.  Now  Carrol  had  just 
reached  the  edge  of  the  crowd,  and  in 
his  anxious  desire  to  catch  sight  of 
jMaud  again  he  was  looking  most  ea- 
gerly forward,  when,  suddenly,  full  be- 
fore him,  close  in  front,  so  close  that 
further  concealment  of  himself  was 
impossible,  with  her  eyes  fixed  on  his, 
was  Maud  herself. 

As  she  tiught  sight  of  Carrol  a  deep 
flush  passed  over  her  face,  and  then 
died  out,  leaving  it  as  pale  as  death  ; 
her  eyes  fastened  themselves  on  his 
with  a  look  of  wistful  entreaty  and  un- 
utterable sadness  ;  and  he  could  see 
that  tears  were  trembling  upon  those 
long  lashes.  The  sight  of  that  face 
was  piteous  enough  to  have  moved 
most  deeply  a  sterner  heart  than  that 
of  Carrol.  Her  look  flashed  through 
him  to  his  inmost  soul,  and  at  once  all 
his  hot  rage,  his  venomous  bitterness, 
his  hard  and  cruel  jealousy  vanished 
and  went  into  utter  oblivion.  He  broke 
down  completely.  He  reached  out  his 
hand  and  grasped  hers  feverishly.  For 
a  moment  he  could  not  speak,  but  at 
'  length  he  found  his  voice. 
"  Maud  !  " 
"  Paul !  " 

His  voice  was  tremulous  and  hoarse  ; 
her  voice  was  tremulous  too  and  faint. 
They  stood  for  an  instant  looking  at 
one  another  with  their  hands  clasped, 
forgetful  of  the  crowd  around  them, 
and  of  everything  except  each  other. 
Maud  saw  the  change  in  Carrol's  face  ; 
she  marked  how  pale  and  wan  he 
liad  become,  the  dark  circles  around 
his  hollow  eyes,  the  sharp,  pinched 
features,  tlie  trembling  and  quivering 
muscles  of  the  face.  The  sight  of 
these,  combined  with  her  own  deep  agi- 
tation, afiected  her  still  more  strongly, 
and  at  length  she  burst  into  tears  and 
sobbed  aloud. 
Carrol  stood  there  fearfully  agitated. 


He  was  weak  and  nervous,  for  his  long 
struggle  with  sorrow  and  passion  had 
produced  its  natural  effect,  and  had 
greatly  undermined  his  strength  and 
the  steadiness  of  his  nervc!'  The  re- 
vulsion which  he  had  just  .xperienced, 
in  passing  in  one  instant  from  a  fierce, 
headlong  desire  for  vengeance,  to  the 
tendercst  emotion  of  love  and  pity, 
bewildered  his  brain.  The  sight  of 
Maud's  sadness  had  wrought  this 
change,  and  it  was  intensified  by  the 
sight  of  Maud's  tears.  There  was  a 
choking  sensation  in  his  throat ;  his 
heart  throbbed  wildly ;  his  hand  still 
clutched  hers  convulsively ;  and  he 
neither  moved  nor  spoke. 

A  movement  now  took  place  in  the 
crowd,  and  the  people  pressed  against 
the  two  as  they  stood  tliere.  This 
roused  them.  Maud  gently  withdrew 
her  hand,  and  Carrol  regained  his  pres- 
ence of  mind. 

"  It 's  too  crowded,"  he  said,  in  a 
low  voice;  "come  away — with  me  — 
to  some  other  place." 

IVIaud  said  nothing,  but  as  he  started 
she  walked  by  his  side,  and  they  went 
away  out  of  the  crowd. 

"I  —  I  lost  my  way,"  said  Maud,  at 
length,  first  breaking  the  silence.  She 
spoke  hurriedly  and  quickly.  The 
silence  embarrassed  her  so  greatly, 
that  to  break  it  in  any  way  was  a  re- 
lief; and  so  she  naturally  alluded  to 
the  first  thing  that  came  uppermost, 
which  was  her  singular  appearance 
thus  alone  in  the  midst  of  a  crowd. 
"  I  lost  my  way,"  she  repeated,  "  that 
is,  I  lost  my  sister,  and  I  was  trying  to 
find  her." 

"  Your  sister  ? "  said  Carrol,  in  an 
absent  voice. 

"Yes.  Georgie,  —  Mrs.  Lovell ;  we 
went  out  together,  you  know,"  said 
Maud,  who  now  seemed  to  have  found 
her  voice.  "  We  generally  drive  out, 
but  to-day  She  thought  she  would  like 
p  walk.  We  did  n't  know  there  would 
be  such  a  crowd.  We  were  walking 
about  here  together,  when  suddenly  a 
great  rush  of  people  took  place  and  we 
were  separated.  I  've  been  looking  for 
her  for  nearly  half  an  hour,  but  cannot 


'li 


■)■' 


ill 


I  m 


rr 


74 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


::iit?:l 

'Ulllff  «:|{| 

nlllil; 

'^11  III  11111,4 1 


amf' 


iH  «i 


^  I  til' « 11  111 

Il''l'!'i' »••!'•' 
I  ■  '  ;  1  111' 


\ 


Tlitii' 


1  )• 


find  her.  Have  you  seen  anything  of 
her?" 

She  raised  her  eyes  as  she  said  tliis, 
and  cauglit  his  gaze  as  it  was  fixed 
upon  iicr.  It  was  earnest  and  longing 
and  sad,  and  full  of  a  strange  meaning. 
Her  own  eyes  fell  before  it,  and  she 
was  silent  again. 

"  I  have  not  seen  her,"  said  Carrol, 
in  a  dreamy,  far-ofT  tone. 

They  walked  on  a  little  farther  in 
silence.  Maud  waited,  thinking  that 
Carrol  would  first  break  it,  but  Carrol 
made  no  attempt  to  speak.  His  brain 
was  full  of  a  tumult  of  thoughts,  none 
of  which  he  knew  how  to  put  into 
words.  For  this  moment  was  sweet  to 
him  beyond  all  expression,  but  beneath 
the  sweetness  there  was  a  dread  mem- 
ory which  could  not  altogether  leave 
him  ;  and  it  was  this  that  held  his 
tongue  fast  bound,  and  checked  the 
words  that  were  rising  to  his  lips. 

Again  Maud  broke  the  silence  which 
embarrassed  her.  But  this  time  it  was 
no  commonplace  that  she  uttered,  but 
rather  the  thought  that  for  weeks  had 
been  uppermost  in  her  mind.  It  was 
a  thing  that  she  longed  to  know.  Upon 
this  all  her  future  seemed  to  depend. 
So  with  a  great  effort  she  forced  her- 
self to  speak. 

"  You  never  answered  my  last  letter. 
Did  you  get  it .' " 

She  spoke  almost  breathlessly,  with 
intense  eagerness,  not  looking  at  him, 
but  walking  by  his  side  with  her  eyes 
fixed  upon  the  ground.  Her  voice  was 
low,  but  the  words  were  distinct,  and 
every  one  was  audible  to  her  compan- 
ion. To  him  those  words  were  not 
altogether  intelligible  ;.;  to  their  mean- 
ing, but  they  had  reference  to  her  let- 
ter, to  that  letter  which  had  wrought  so 
much  woe  for  him.  In  a  moment  a 
new  change  came  over  him,  his  dark 
memories  rushed  to  the  surface,  over- 
powering the  tenderness  which  had 
been  born  from  this  meeting. 

"  Your  letter  ?  "  said  he,  in  a  harsh 
voice.  "  I  answered  it.  Did  n't  ^ou 
get  my  answer  ?  " 

His  tone  startled  her  and  shocked 
her.    She  raised  her  eyes   in  terror; 


she  saw  a  gloomy  frown  upon  his  face, 
and  the  gaze  that  he  now  turned  upon 
her  was  cold  and  dark  and  cruel. 

"  Oh  !  "  she  said,  with  a  low  moan 
of  irrepressible  grief,  "you  cannot 
mean  this.  You  don't  know.  Did  you 
get  my  second  letter,  my  letter  in 
which  I  explained?  Did  you  get  that? 
I  explained.  It  was  an  awful  mistake 
—  the  first  letter.  You  did  not  get  my 
last  letter." 

Carrol  started.  He  stopped  and 
looked  at  her.  A  thought  came  to  him 
which  sent  a  dark  look  of  anguish  over 
his  face. 

"  Last  letter  !  "  said  he,  "  I  don't 
know.  I  only  got  one  letter,  and  I 
answered  it.  I  wrote  you  a  —  a  fare- 
well. Did  you  write  again  ?  What  do 
you  mean  by  a  mistake  ?  Was  there 
a  mistake  ?  What  mistake  ?  O  heav- 
en! tell  me  what  you  mean.  I  never 
got  any  other  letter.  What  do  you 
mean  by  your  last  letter  ? " 

He  spoke  eagerly,  but  his  tones  ex- 
pressed the  deepest  anguish.  He  was 
eager  to  know  the  truth,  but  beneath 
his  eager  desire  was  the  grim  con- 
sciousness that  it  was  now  too  late  for 
any  explanation  to  avail.  To  find  out 
that  she  after  all  was  true,  to  have  it 
all  explained,  was  to  him  like  having 
heaven  opened  ;  but  at  the  same  time 
the  consciousness  of  his  dark  deed 
of  horror  formed  an  impenetrable  bar- 
rier that  lay  between  him  and  that 
heaven. 

All  this  longing  and  all  this  fear 
showed  itself  in  his  face  and  in  his 
voice ;  forming  a  strange  mixture, 
which  Maud  noticed  with  wonder  and 
deep  apprehension.  But  for  her  there 
was  nothing  else  to  do  than  to  excul- 
pate herself,  and  show  her  innocence 
and  her  truth. 

"  Paul !  "  she  cried,  in  a  voice  that 
was  a  wail  of  anguish,  "  how  could 
you  go  without  seeing  me  ?  How  could 
you  take  that  letter  as  if  it  came  from 
me  and  never  come  to  me,  when  one 
word  would  have  explained  all  ?  It  was 
all  a  mistake,  —  a  miserable,  miserable 
mistake.  When  you  wrote  to  me  you 
must  have  known  how   I   would  an- 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors, 


n 


swer.  And  I  did  answer  it  ;is  you 
know  I  would.  I  answered  it  as  you 
wished  nic  to.  I'ut  in  my  cxcitenunt 
and  ajjitalion  I  foolishly  wrote  on  the 
envelope  the  wrong  address.  I  did  so 
because  I  happened  to  he  writing  a 
reply  to  some  wretched  creature,  who 
sent  me  a  silly  note  at  the  same  time. 
In  my  agitation  I  wrote  the  wrong  ad- 
dress on  each  envelope,  and  you  got 
what  was  not  intended  for  you.  As 
soon  as  I  received  your  reply  I  under- 
stood it  all,  and  wrote  you  at  once  ex- 
plaining it,  hut  I  never  heard  from  you 
again.  And,  O  Paul !  believe  me  —  I 
have  —  sufll'red  —  much." 

Maud  was  a  proud  girl,  and  all  this 
was  a  humiliation  to  her  ;  but  she  had 
sulTered  so  much,  that  she  longed  to 
find  peace  and  reconciliation,  and  so 
she  made  this  frank  explanation.  She 
made  it  frankly,  because  she  was  con- 
fident that  it  would  make  all  things 
plain,  and  drive  away  the  last  feeling 
of  suspicion  and  resentment  that  Car- 
rol might  entertain.  She  stood  as 
she  said  tliis,  not  looking  at  him,  but 
with  her  eyes  fixed  on  the  ground.  A 
burning  flush  overspread  her  face. 
Her  hands  clutched  one  another  con- 
vulsively. She  spoke  quickly,  and  the 
tones  of  her  voice  were  tremulous  and 
faint  from  the  deep  agitation  of  her 
heart.  As  she  ended  she  could  scarce- 
ly speak  ;  her  last  words  seemed  wrung 
from  her  in  spite  of  herself;  and  when 
she  stopped  she  waited  for  a  moment, 
expecting  Carrol's  answer,  and  then 
she  slowly  raised  her  eyes  to  his  face. 
Her  eyes  were  full  of  tears,  and  in 
them  there  was  again  that  earnest, 
wistful  look  which  had  before  been 
seen   in   them. 

Carrol  had  heard  every  word.  The 
few  words  of  explanation  had  been  suf- 
ficient to  convey  to  his  mind  a  general, 
yet  a  perfectly  distinct  idea  of  the 
nature  of  Maud's  mistake,  and  to  as- 
sure him  that  she  had  been  perfectly 
true  and  faithful  ;  that  she  had  has- 
tened to  explain  her  mistake  ;  that  she 
had  suffered  greatly ;  and  that  his 
miserable  jealousy  had  excited  sus- 
picions in  his  mind  against  her  which 


were  foully  and  frightfully  unjust  and 
disgraceful.  He  saw  also  that  she  had 
not  only  been  thus  perfectly  true  and 
faithful,  but  that  now  at  this  moment, 
and  here  by  his  side,  she  stood,  her- 
self volunteering  this  explanation,  giv- 
ing it  unasked,  and  speaking  to  him 
words  of  sweet  reconciliation.  Thus 
all  the  truth  burst  upon  him. 

lUit  as  the  truth  thus  became  knov.'n 
to  him,  there  w^ere  manifest  to  his  mind 
other  things  which  darkened  that  truth, 
and  shrouded  all  his  hopes  in  the  black- 
ness of  darkness.  She  had  explained 
her  mistake  fully  and  frankly,  but  she 
did  not  know  how  terrible,  how  fatal 
that  mistake  had  been.  As  she  stood 
there  in  her  innocent  trust,  seeking 
reconciliation,  her  very  words  of  ex- 
planation showed  that  she  was  utterly 
ignorant  of  the  terrible  crime  which  had 
been  the  result  of  this  mistake.  She 
evidently  thought  him  as  pure  and  as 
unstained  as  he  had  been  when  they 
had  last  spoken  together.  She  could 
not  have  heard  of  the  murder.  She 
could  not  know  what  he  was  now.  She 
thought  that  nothing  lay  between  tlieni 
but  a  misunderstanding  that  a  word 
could  remove  ;  she  did  not  know  that 
between  them  there  yawned  an  abyss 
which  must  separate  them  forever. 
Soon  she  must  know  all,  and  then 
she  would  understand  ;  but  now  —  but 
now  — 

A  thousand  thoughts  like  these 
rushed  through  Carrol's  mind  as  he 
stood  there.  He  did  not  venture  to 
look  at  Maud.  As  she  raised  her  tear- 
ful eyes  timidly  and  wistfully  to  his 
face,  this  was  what  she  saw.  She  saw 
Carrol  standing  with  averted  face,  his 
brow  drawn  together  in  a  dark  and 
gloomy  frown,  his  lips  compressed,  and 
his  eyes  staring  far  aw.ay  into  empty 
space.  On  that  face  there  was  not  the 
faintest  approach  to  anything  like  a  re- 
lenting of  that  harsh  and  resentful  tem- 
per which  he  had  manifested  ever  since 
their  misunderstanding;  not  the  slight- 
est sign  of  anything  like  an  acquiesr 
cence  in  her  explanation,  of  a  readiness 
to  receive  it,  or  a  tendency  to  meet  her 
half-way  and  resume  the  old  intimacy. 


«l  I 


iViuum  Miiison  Universrty 

Ralph  Pickard  Bell 

Library 


III 


■ 


'iiiifr;!?' 


Hi 


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I '  I  K  It  111 ' 

I|'||ii  rH"i 


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%ii 

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76 


/I  Co7Hcdy  of  Tenors. 


He  stood  tlicre  as  harsh,  as  stern,  as 
implacable  as  ever. 

Maud's  heart  seemed  to  turn  to 
stone  as  she  gazed  ;  and  at  once  tlicrc 
arose  within  her  a  bitter  sense  of  wrong 
and  injury  ;  her  whole  soul  roused  it- 
self in  strong  resentment  against  such 
abominable  treatment,  and  all  the  pride 
of  her  nature  started  up  in  fierce  recoil 
proportionate  to  the  degree  in  which 
she  had  just  humiliated  herself.  She 
said  not  a  word  ;  she  turned,  and  with- 
out another  look  walked  quickly  away. 

Of  Carrol  she  had  now  only  one 
thought  as  she  thus  walked  away  from 
him,  and  that  was  the  thought  of  a 
pride  on  his  part  so  obstinate  as  to  be 
utterly  irremovable  ;  a  pride  obdurate, 
implacable,  and  utterly  devilish  ;  a  na- 
ture cold,  selfish,  and  altogether  devoid 
of  human  feeling ;  a  foolish  yet  frantic 
self-esteem,  which  preferred  continu- 
ance in  a  wrong  course  to  a  candid  and 
frank  change  of  opinion,  even  though 
such  a  course  should  lead  to  the  ship- 
wreck of  a  life,  to  the  misery  of  himself 
and  othe  ..  To  her  Carrol  was  obdu- 
rate beyond  all  hoj)e  of  change.  But  it 
was  not  sorrow  or  melancholy  that  filled 
her  heart  as  she  left  him.  Her  whole 
S'  ul  swelled  with  the  most  intense  in- 
dignation against  him  for  subjecting 
her  so  wantonly  to  such  cruel  injus- 
tice. 

Meanwhile  Carrol  stood  half  frantic 
with  the  emotions  that  filled  his  heart 
and  tVe  thoughts  that  rushed  through 
his  b  'n.  He  did  not  see  Maud  leave 
:  im,  nor  did  he  hear  iieras  she  moved 
away  ;  for  his  sight  and  hearing  were 
dulled  through  the  deep  abstraction 
into  which  his  feelings  had  plunged 
him.  But  at  length  he  came  to  himself. 
He  then  saw,  to  his  amazement,  that 
he  was  alone.  He  could  scarcely  be- 
lieve it.  He  looked  .dl  around.  Crowds 
of  people  appeared  assembled  together 
not  far  away,  —  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, —  but  where  was  ?>Iaud  ? 

He  looked  all  around,  wildly,  and  full 
of  consternation.  Every  won'  diat  she 
had  spoken  was  still  fresh  in  his  mem- 
ory. He  knew  tluat  he  had  givcT  no 
answer  to  her.     He  saw  that  she  )iad 


left  him  in  anger.  But  where  had  she 
gone  ?  He  coidd  n't  imagine  ;  and  so, 
after  looking  in  all  directions,  he  start- 
ed off  to  search  after  her. 

But  Maud  had  already  disappeared 
in  the  crowd,  and  was  walking  toward 
her  lodgings.  As  for  Carrol,  he  searched 
after  her  all  that  day,  never  ceasing  to 
reproach  and  curse  himself  for  his  folly  ; 
but  the  day  passed,  and  evening  came, 
and  Maud  appeared  no  more. 

XVI. 

AN   HiRESISTHiLE  AITK/.  L. 

On  the  same  eventful  day  on  which 
Carrol  met  willi  Maud,  Crimes  also 
happened  to  be  in  the  Champs  Elysees. 
He  had  made  his  daily  eiVort  upon 
Trochu  and  the  American  Minister, 
but  in  each  case  the  queue  had  again 
bafllcd  him.  Sauntering  away,  he  had 
drifted  up  the  Champs  Klysces,  and,  as 
he  had  nothing  better  to  do,  on  reach- 
ing the  Arc  de  rfi^toile  he  turned  and 
allowed  himself  to  drift  down  again. 

Though  he  had  been  subject  to  a 
fresh  disappointment,  he  was  not  at  all 
depressed  in  his  mind,  but  his  broad 
face  exhibited  an  expression  of  seren- 
ity that  showed  a  mind  at  peace  with- 
in. There  was  something  in  the  scene 
which  was  pleasant  in  his  eyes.  His 
thoughts  were  stimula  '^y  the  sight 
of  the  marching  warriors.  He  saw  the 
invincible  legions  of  republican  France 
going  forth  at  last  to  victory.  He 
longed  to  make  one  among  them. 
Every  beat  of  the  drum,  every  blare  of 
the  bugle,  every  tramp  of  the  measured 
footfall,  seemed  a  summons  for  him  to 
come  and  join  these  ranks. 

He  was  so  iJjsorbcd  that  he  saun- 
tered on  quite  oblivious  of  the  scene 
around  him,  he  was  suddenly  roused 
by  an  exclamation,  and  the  sound  of 
his  own  name  uttered  in  a  lady's  voice. 
He  started  and  stared. 

"  Why,  Mr.  (irimes  !  How  very,  very 
odd,  but  how  really  nice  and  fortu- 
nate ! " 

And  Mrs.  Lovell,  for  it  was  she  who 
thus  encountered  him,  held  forth,  with 


A  Comedy  of  Tenors. 


17 


n  hcaminj!;  smile,  Iicr  little  IkuuI,  wliich 
Grimes  at  once  grasped  ami  crusliet!  ; 
while  at  tlie  same  instant,  as  tliough 
the  touch  of  that  hand  was  magical, 
every  thought  of  Troclui,  and  the 
French  Republic,  vanislicd  from  his 
mind. 

"  W'al ! "  exclaimed  (irimes.  And 
upon  saying  that  he  relapseil  into  a 
fiiiencc  which,  under  the  circumstances, 
may  perhaps  have  been  more  eloquent 
than  words. 

"  It 's  so  absurd,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell, 
withdrawing  her  hand,  not  without  some 
clTort.  "  You  know,  I  've  really  lost 
my  way ;  and  poor  I\Iaudie  !  I  'm  so 
dreadfully  an.xious  abi.  jt  her.  We  were 
separated  by  a  great  crowd,  and  I  've 
been  looking  for  her  everywhere.  I  'ni 
really  quite  wild  with  anxiety,  for  I  'm 
sure  she  can  never,  never  find  her  way 
home.  And  do  you  think  that  anything 
could  hapiien  to  her,  and  isn't  it  a 
shame,  Mr.  Cirimcs  .''  " 

To  this  Grimes  made  no  reply,  but 
stood  gazing  at  her  with  a  smile  of 
almost  parental  indulgence  and  fond- 
ness. 

"  You  sec,  she  does  n't  know  her 
way  about  Paris  at  all ;  and  have  n't 
you  seen  her  somewhere  ?  I  thought 
perhaps  I  might  find  her  up  this  way." 

Grimes  shook  his  head,  without  at- 
tempting to  say  anything  as  yet. 

"  I  'm  so  dreadfully  anxious,  and  I  'm 
so  wretchedly  tired,"  continued  Mrs. 
Lovell.  '■■  I  've  been  looking  for  her 
everywhere  ;  and  I  was  just  going  to 
sit  dcwn  and  rest,  when  I  met  you. 
And  don't  you  think,  now,  it  would  be 
just  as  well  for  me  to  sit  down  for  a 
little  while,  Mr.  Grimes?  Mightn't 
she  find  me  more  easily  in  that  way, 
now  ?  And  could  n't  you  find  some 
scat  for  me,  Mr.  Grimes,  where  1  could 
have  a  good  view  of  the  place,  and  see 
her  if  she  came  anywhere  near  ?  " 

"  Most  certainly,  ma'am,"  said 
Grimes,  quickly.  "  I  '11  be  perfectly 
delighted,  I  assure  jou.  I  hain't  tlie 
slighte;  t  doubt  that  that 's  the  best 
way  to  find  her.  Why,  't  aint  any  use 
to  hunt  her  up  in  this  crowd,  no  more  'n 
a  needle  in  a  haystack." 


"  I  was  just  beginning  to  tliink  some 
such  thing  as  that,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell. 

Grimes  now  led  the  way  out  of  the 
crowd  to  a  seat  on  one  side  of  the  ave- 
nue, under  the  trees,  in  a  place  from 
which  an  extensive  view  could  be  com- 
manded up  and  down.  Here  Mrs. 
Lovell  seated  herself  with,  "  O  thanks, 
very  much  ;  it's  really  so  good  of  you, 
Mr.  Grimes";  while  Grimes  placed 
himself  by  her  side. 

"  Wal,"  said  he,  after  a  pause,  in  a 
confidential  and  friendly  tone,  "  and 
/toio  are  you  to-day  ?     I'ooty  well .'  " 

"O,  very  well,  thanks,"  said  Mrs. 
Lovell,  with  a  smile. 

Grimes  paused,  and  looked  solemnly 
at  the  ground  for  a  few  moments. 

"  I'inc  weatlier  we  're  havin'  to-day," 
said  he  at  length.- 

"Isn't  it  perfectly  exquisite  ?  "  said 
Mrs.  Lovell. 

"  I'ine  place,  Paris,"  continued 
Crimes,  cheerily. 

"  Delightful,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell.  "  Do 
you  know  it 's  my  favorite  place,  that  is, 
generally  ;  of  course,  just  now  it 's  a 
little  ditVercnt." 

"  Fine  people  the  French,"  said 
Grimes. 

"  Yes ;  I  always  liked  them  very 
much  ;  they  are  perfectly  charming. 
And  how  very  funny  it  was  that  I 
should  meet  you  here.  It's  really  so 
nice,  and  so  very,  very  providential, 
you  know.  Why,  I  was  just  beginning 
to  despair." 

(Jrimes  heaved  a  heavy  sigh,  and 
meditated  solemnly  for  a  little  while. 

"  Is  this  your  first  visit  to  Paris  ?  " 
lie  asked  at  length,  with  an  air  of  an.\- 
iety. 

"  O  no,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell.  "  I  was 
h"re  once  or  twice  before  ;  and  I  liked 
it  so  very,  very  much,  that  1  thought  I 
should  enjoy  it  now." 

"  I  find,  ma'am,"  said  Grimes,  "  that 
you  did  n't  get  scared  at  the  siege. 
V  )u  hung  on,  I  see.  'T  aint  every- 
body that  'd  do  like  that.  That 's  what 
I  call  pure  spunk.  And  I  tell  you  what 
it  is,  I  did  n't  think  you  'd  'a'  done  it. 
Most  women  are  such  cowards." 

"  O,  but  /'ma  coward,  too,"  said 


m 


78 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


iliillfS 

I:':    •*illl 


|illiiliiiiiiH 
'III rill,  I^K'iilj 

ir"iiNMiiii'i 

111:  .  :.: 


i\Irs.  Lovell.  "  I  'm  an  awful  coward. 
I  'm  frightened  out  of  my  wits.  I  did 
n't  know  tiiere  was  going  to  be  a  siege, 
you  i<now.  There  was  no  regular  no- 
tice of  it  given.  Nobody  told  me  any- 
thing about  it.  I  never  was  so  sur- 
prised in  my  life.  There  ought  to  have 
been  some  regular  public  notice  ;  now 
ought  n't  there,  Mr.  Grimes  ?  " 

"  Wal,"  said  Grimes,  "  that's  queer. 
It  strikes  me  there  was  a  good  deal 
about  it  in  the  papers." 

"  O  yes  ;  but  then,  you  know,  I  never 
read  the  papers.  One  never  can  be- 
lieve the  half  of  what  they  say.  They 
always  contradict  themselves  the  next 
day.  And  then  tliey  always  say  such 
e.xtrivagant  things.  Really,  you  know, 
if  one  went  by  what  the  papers  say, 
one  could  never  expect  to  have  any 
peace  at  all." 

"  Wal,"  said  Grimes,  "  I  must  say  I 
do  admire  your  style.  I  've  often  heard 
the  papers  pitched  into  ;  but  people 
that  abuse  them  always  follow  their 
lead,  nevertheless.  But  you  're  the  very 
first  person  I  ever  met  with  that  delib- 
erately ignored  them,  and  not  only  de- 
spised them,  but  acted  up  to  it." 

Mrs.  Lovell  took  no  notice  of  this, 
but  looked  earnestly  at  Grimes  as  he 
was  speaking  ;  and  when  he  had  ceased, 
she  said,  "  I  wonder  why  you  remained, 
if  you  knew  there  was  going  to  be  a 
siege." 

"  Me  ? "  said  Grimes.  "  O,  I  'm  goin' 
to  enlist  in  the  French  army." 

"  O,  Iiow  lovely  !  "  cried  Mrs.  Lov- 
ell, in  an  animated  tone  ;  "  how  nice, 
and  chivalrous,  and  all  that!  Uo  you 
know  I  've  always  perfectly  adored  the 
army?  and  to  think  of  your  being  an 
ofiicer  !     Only  fancy  !     Tiie  idea  !  " 

And  Mrs.  Lovell  fastened  her  eyes 
upon  space  with  an  expression  of  won- 
der beyond  words  tliat  was  exceeding- 
ly becoming  to  her  particular  style  of 
beauty. 

"Yes,  'm,"  said  Grimes  seriously 
and  with  very  creditable  self-poise,  "  I 
quite  agree  with  you  there.  It's  what 
you  might  consider  a  high  and  holy 
caliin'  just  now  in  these  times,  wlien 
there   is  a  regular  epoch,  a  moment, 


ma'am,  when  liberty  long  buried  is 
bavin'  a  resurrection,  and  the  eagle  of 
France  responds  to  the  clarion  voice 
of — of — the  principles  of  —  of — sev- 
enty-six, and  the  Republic  arises  great, 
glorious,  and  free.  And  so  it's  the 
proud  privilege  of  every  man  that  can 
wield  a  sword  to  strike  a  blow  for  the 
cause  of  freedom,  —  and  so  forth." 

"  How  very,  very  true,"  said  Mrs. 
Lovell ;  "  and  do  you  know,  Mr.  Grimes, 
I  don't  think  I  ever  knew  anything  half 
so  funny  as  the  way  you  and  I  meet. 
Only  fancy  !  First  there  was  Niagara, 
then  Montreal,  then,  you  know,  we  met 
so  absurdly  on  board  the  steamer,  and 
now  we  have  met  again  in  the  most  un- 
accountable way  in  the  middle  of  a  be- 
sieged city.  Really,  it's  the  most  won- 
derful thing.  But  I  suppose  you  don't 
think  anything  of  meeting  with  poor 
me,  now  that  you  are  a  great  French 
general,  Mr.  Grimes." 

Grimes  had  already  experienced  a 
little  of  Mrs.  Lovell's  tendency  to  an 
abrupt  transition  from  one  subject  of 
conversation  to  another,  but  this  one 
bewildered  him  a  little  by  its  sudden- 
nesL.  Tiie  hint  which  she  made  as  to 
his  possible  indifference  was  not,  how- 
ever unpleasant,  and  more  than  this  it 
very  naturally  roused  him  to  a  nianlj 
denial  of  any  such  imputation. 

"  No,  'm,"  said  he  steadily,  shaking 
his  head  at  tlie  same  time  with  a  very 
solemn  emphasis.  "  That  lin't  my 
style.  I  don't  forget  so  easy.  When 
I  get  a  thing  I  always  cling  to  it.  The\ 
circumstance  that  led  to  our  acquaint- 
ance at  Niagara,  'm,  still  remains  with 
me  here  at  Paris." 

"  The  —  the  circumstance  ?  "  asked 
]\Irs.  Level],  doubtfully. 

"  Yes,  'm." 

"  What  a  funny  tiling  to  call  it  a  cir- 
cumstance," said  Mrs.  Lovell,  with  a 
liglit  laugh.  "And  have  you  really 
brought  that  absurd  chignon  here  with 
you  ?     Only  fancy  !  " 

"  Wal,"  said  Grimes,  in  a  tone  of 
candor,  "  when  I  said  circumstance  I 
meant  incident,  but  as  to  tiie  other  — 
the  apparatus  —  I  'm  free  to  say  I  have 
it  stiU  —  in  my  trunk  —  in  this  town." 


'n] 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


19 


"  And  ciid  you  really  bring  it  all  the 
way  across  the  ocean  ?  " 

"  Yes,  'm." 

"  How  very  funny ! "  sighed  Mrs.  Lov- 
ell ;  and  then  after  a  pause  she  added, 
in  a  low  voice,  "  I  don't  see  why,  I  'm 
sure." 

Grimes  looked  at  her  earnestly,  a 
slight  iiush  passed  over  his  face,  his 
lips  parted  to  utter  words  which  rest- 
ed tliere  ;  but  he  checked  himself,  and 
tlie  words  remained  unspoken.  Mrs. 
Lovcll  waited  patiently,  looking  at  the 
ground  with  a  sweet  air  of  meek  expec- 
tation. 

"  Wal,"  said  Grimes  at  last,  "  you 
see  it  was  a  kind  of  reminder  of  what  I 
once  wanted  —  and  did  n't  get." 

I\Irs.  Lovell  gave  a  very  little  bit  of 
a  sigh. 

"  I  'ni  sure  I  don't  see  the  use  of 
being  so  awfully  despondent,"  said 
she. 

Grimes  looked  at  her  eagerly  and 
earnestly.  Mrs.  Lovell  looked  at  the 
ground.  Grimes  had  a  sudden  idea 
that  there  might  still  be  hope  for  him 
'.  this  quarter,  and  the  words  were  al- 
ready on  his  lips  which  this  idea  im- 
pelled. But  again  he  checked  himself. 
It  was  his  innate  modesty  and  self- 
depreciation  that  stopped  his  utterance. 
No,  he  tiiought,  she  dort't  mean  that ; 
she  is  only  speakin'  of  despondency  in 
general,  and  she  's  quite  right.  So 
Grimes  said,  "  Wal,  'm,  I  'm  not  that 
kind.  I  like  one  person,  and  no  other. 
It  ain't  the  most  comfortable  nature  to 
have,  but  a  fellow  can't  help'  his  dispo- 
sition. For  my  part,  I  'm  a  man  of 
one  idea,  —  always  was,  am  now,  and 
ever  f-hall  be.  I  'm  a  fellow  of  one 
fcclin'  too,  I  suppose,  and  so  I  find  if  I 
once  get  hankerin'  after  anybody,  why, 
there  I  am,  and  I  can't  get  over  it. 
There  ain't  any  use  in  it,  as  you  say, 
course,  but  what  can  a  fellow  do  if  he 
can't  help  it  ?  " 

At  this  Mrs.  Lovell  again  gave  a 
little  sigh. 

"  Yes,"  said  she,  "  that 's  just  the 
way  it  is  with  me  ;  and  I  think  it 's 
awfully  nice." 

Grimes  slowly  took  this  observation 


into  his  mind  and  turned  it  over  and 
over  therein.  It  seemed  to  him  at 
length  to  be  a  very  gentle  reminder, 
offered  by  Mrs.  Lovell  to  him,  that 
she  was  a  widow,  and  was  still  brood- 
ing over  her  lost  love,  to  which  she 
still  persisted  in  clinging  with  un- 
changeable constancy.  He  accepted 
it  as  a  kind  of  rebuke,  and  in  the  sim- 
ple honesty  of  his  heart  he  found  some- 
thing in  ."-uch  rare  constancy  which 
was  at  once  admirable,  delicate,  pure, 
holy,  touching,  aiTecting,  pathetic,  ten- 
der, and  true.  "It's  rather  rough  on 
me,"  thought  honest  Grimes,  "but,  after 
all,  it  comes  up  to  my  idea  of  a  high- 
toned  woman."  He  now  felt  afraid  that 
he  had  gone  too  far  in  talking  about  his 
own  feelings.  He  had  perhaps  offended 
her,  and  she  had  sought  out  this  delicate 
way  of  administering  a  rebuke.  He  felt 
an.xious  to  make  amends  for  his  error. 
He  felt  that  an  apology  would  only 
make  matters  worse  ;  and  so  he  sought 
rather  to  make  an  ample  atonement  by 
introducing  some  new  subject  which 
should  at  once  be  most  agreeable  to 
her,  and  at  the  same  time  be  sugges- 
tive of  his  own  penitence.  To  him 
there  seemed  to  be  only  one  subject 
which  could  fulfil  these  conditions,  and 
that  was  the  memory  of  the  one  to 
whom  she  had  just  professed,  as  he 
supposed,  such  undying  constancy. 

"  I  suppose  now,"  said  Grimes,  with 
that  heavy  sigh,  and  that  deep  doleful- 
ness  of  tone  which  are  often  employed 
by  clergymen  in  condoling  with  the  af- 
flicted or  the  bereaved,  —  "I  suppose 
now  —  that  is,  I  dare  say  you  thought 
a  good  deal  of  him." 

Mrs.  Lovell  at  this  looked  up  a  little 
puzzled.  But  she  supposed  that  this 
was  a  remark  put  forth  by  Grimes  to 
sound  her  as  to  her  state  of  mind  with 
reference  to  hims  :If  So  a  slight  blush 
passed  over  her  face,  and  she  sighed 
gently,  "  I  suppose  so." 

"  Liked  to  have  him  around  ?  "  con- 
tinued Grimes  in  the  same  austerely 
dismal  voice. 

"  Yes,"  sighed  Mrs.  Lovell. 

"iMissed  him  —  most  tremendously 
now  ? " 


iMi 


I  ■»•  If 


il 


80 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


:ir" 


It"" 

liIlM  ■i<:t':< 


i' 1,111:  ihr 

l-'I'lflMH' 


illl'!!?'  s'*''^ 


1  lii  t-  (li 


Mrs.  Lovell  shook  her  head  slowly 
and  emphatically,  as  though  words 
were  incapable  of  expressing  the  ex- 
tent to  which  she  had  missed  him. 

"  Die  for  him,  course,"  wailed  Grimes, 
as  his  voice  grew  dismallcr  and  dole- 
fuller. 

"  I  suppose  so,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell, 
after  a  pause  in  which  she  began  to 
think  that  Grimes  was  making  her 
commit  herself  altogether  too  much, 
but  at  the  same  time  felt  an  undimin- 
ished desire  to  rouse  him  from  his  evi- 
dent despondency  to  a  healthier  state 
of  mind. 

"  Loss  irreparable  ? "  said  Grimes, 
with  a  groan. 

"  Well  —  yes  —that  is,"  added  Mrs. 
Lovell,  "to  lose  him  altogether,  you 
know." 

Grimes  gave  another  groan.  If  any- 
thing had  been  needed  to  convince 
him  of  the  utter  futility  of  the  hopes 
that  he  had  once  cherished  it  was  this, 
—  this  touching  confession  of  love 
stronger  than  death,  —  this  declaration 
of  a  woman's  truth  and  constancy.  A 
new  despair  came  to  his  own  heart, 
but  in  the  midst  of  his  despair  he  hon- 
ored her  for  such  feelings.  At  length 
he  roused  himself  and  made  a  final 
effort. 

"  Fine  man,  —  I  s'pose,  —  this  Mr. 
Lovell  ? " 

That  is  what  Grimes  said.  It  was 
an  outburst  of  frank  generosity.  He 
was  boiling  over  with  jealous  hate  of 
this  Lovell,  but  in  his  tender  regard 
for  r.irs.  Lovell  he  subdued  his  jeal- 
ousy and  his  hate,  subdued  himself, 
and  rose  to  a  display  of  his  better  na- 
ture. "  Fine  man,  —  I  s'pose,  —  this 
Mr.  Lovell  ? " 

At  this  Mrs.  Lovell  started  as  though 
she  had  been  shot.  She  stared  at 
Grimes  in  amazement,  utterly  unable 
to  understand  what  he  could  possibly 
mean. 

"  Mr.  —  Lovell  ?  "  she  faltered  at 
length.  "  What  do  you  mean  ?  I  don't 
understand  you." 

"  Why,"  said  Grimes  in  equal  amaze- 
ment, "we've  been  talkin'  about  him 
all  along,  have  n't  we  ?    You  said  your 


loss  of  him  was  irreparable,  and  that 
you  'd  die  for  him." 

"  I  was  n't  talking  about  ///;;/  at  all," 
said  Mrs.  Lovell,  rising  to  her  feet. 
"  And  I  'm  awfully  anxious  about  poor 
Maudie.  I  have  n't  seen  her  yet  at  all. 
Have  you,  Mr.  Grimes  ?  And  I  'm 
sure,  I  've  been  looking  all  over  that 
crowd  ever  since  I  sat  down  here. 
You  have  n't  seen  her,  have  you,  Mr. 
Grimes  ?  You  did  n't  notice  her,  did 
you,  Mr.  Grimes? " 

"  No,"  said  Grimes,  who  had  risen 
to  his  feet  in  a  dazed  way,  —  "  no,  I  — 
I  have  n't." 

"  I  think  I  ought  to  go  home.  She 
will  probably  be  there  ;  I  'm  so  awfully 
anxious  about  her." 

With  these  words  Mrs.  Lovell  walked 
away,  and  Grimes  walked  away  with 
her.  He  felt  confused,  bewildered,  and 
confounded.  The  discovery  that  Mrs. 
Lovell  had  not  been  yearning  over  the 
dear  departed  had  set  his  brain  in  a 
whirl.  Who  was  the  happy  man  for 
whom  she  felt  such  an  attachment .'  He 
was  too  modest  to  think  of  himself  after 
what  had  passed.  Was  there  any  other 
person  ?  If  so,  who  was  he  ?  Where 
did  he  live  ?  Why  should  Mrs.  Lovell 
be  liere  in  Paris  ?  What  did  it  all 
niean  "^  All  these  thoughts  served  to 
throw  him  into  such  a  state  of  confu- 
sion that  he  could  scarcely  find  any 
words  to  say. 

Out  of  this  confusion,  however,  he 
was  at  length  drawn  by  Mrs.  Lovell 
herself.  She  at  first  har,  felt  excessive- 
ly vexed  at  the  blunder  that  she  had 
made,  but  her  good-nature  at  length 
chased  away  her  vexation ;  and  besides, 
she  had  matters  of  importance  about 
which  she  wished  to  speak.  This  was 
her  present  position  in  Paris,  exposed 
to  the  insults  of  Du  Potiron.  She  had 
defied  him,  and  smiled  at  his  threats  ; 
but  in  spite  of  all  this  she  could  not 
help  feeling  some  uneasiness,  and  she 
was  longing  to  have  the  interposition 
of  some  one  whom  she  could  trust. 
Now  Grimes  was  the  very  man  for  this 
purpose  and  the  only  man. 

So  as  they  walked  along  she  told 
Grimes  exactly  how  it  happened  that 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


8i 


any 


told 
that 


slie  was  in  Paris  at  this  time.  The 
admiration  which  he  had  felt  for  her 
courage  was  now  exchanged  for  a  more 
tender  sentiment  of  pity  for  beauty  in 
distress.  The  distress  also  was  not 
trivial  or  ordinary.  She  explained  to 
him  the  more  peculiar  difficulties  of 
her  situation,  as  well  as  those  general 
ones  which  were  natural  to  all  who 
were  shut  up  in  the  city.  She  did  not 
mention  Du  Potiron,  for  she  thought 
that  the  mention  of  his  name  would 
be  of  no  service,  and  would  only  lead 
to  long  and  troublesome  explanations, 
involving  Maud's  private  affairs.  This 
she  considered  quite  unnecessary.  She 
confined  herself  simply  to  generalities. 
She  expressed  a  great  fear  of  internal 
difficulties  in  Paris,  alluded  in  strong 
language  to  the  chronic  panic  of  Madame 
Guimarin,  and  the  dangers  of  a  revolu- 
tion. The  terror  which  she  felt  about 
the  Reds  seemed  to  Grimes  to  be  very 
natural  under  the  circumstances.  In 
that  danger  he  fully  believed.  Amid 
all  his  enthusiasm  about  the  French 
Republic,  he  was  well  aware  of  the 
existence  of  a  fanatical  and  blood- 
thirsty element  in  Paris,  composed  of 
people  with  whom  the  word  "  republic  " 
meant  little  else  than  universal  anarchy 
and  bloodshed.  Though  he  himself 
had  no  personal  fears  about  the  Red 
Republic,  yet  he  knew  that  an  unp.  - 
tected  lady  had  every  reason  for  fear, 
and  he  was  full  of  fear  on  her  account. 

And  so  it  was  that  Mrs.  Lovcll's 
pathetic  appeal  elicited  from  Grimes  a 
rejoinder  so  full  of  earnest  sympathy 
and  zealous  devotion  that  she  had 
nothing  more  to  desire.  She  informed 
him  plainly  that  her  one  and  only 
wish  was  to  escape  from  Paris.  Inside 
the  city  she  would  never  feel  safe. 
Safety  seemed  to  her  to  be  outside. 
To  this  Grimes  responded  by  a  solemn 
promise  that  he  would  effect  her  escape 
in  some  way  or  other. 

Grimes  walked  with  Mrs.  Lovell 
back  to  her  lodgings,  and  left  her  there. 
When  Mrs.  Lovell  reached  her  rooms 
she  found  Maud  there  already.  If  she 
had  not  been  so  much  excited,  she 
would  have  noticed   that    Maud   was 


even  paler  than  usual,  and  that  she 
evinced  a  certain  feverish  agitation  that 
presented  a  strong  contrast  to  the  dull 
depression  which  had  characterized  her 
manner  for  the  last  few  weeks. 


XVII. 

A  DESPERATE   PROJECT. 

For  the  remainder  of  that  day 
Grimes  wandered  about,  his  mind  filled 
with  novel  yet  by  no  means  unpleas- 
ant thoughts.  His  meeting  with  Mrs. 
Lovell  had  produced  a  very  strong  ef- 
fect upon  his  thoughts,  giving  them  a 
tendency  altogether  different  from  what 
they  had  before,  and  driving  away  from 
his  mind  all  ideas  of  a  general  nature. 
He  no  longer  thought  of  the  French 
Republic,  or  of  the  sublime  resurrec- 
tion of  a  dead  and  buried  cause ; 
he  no  longer  exhausted  his  ingenuity 
in  the  endeavor  to  find  some  way  in 
which  he  could  assist  the  arms  of 
France  ;   but,  on   the   con- 


struggling 
trary,  he  saw  before  him  something 
more  tangible  than  an  ideal  republic. 
Instead  of  the  symbolical  figure  of  Lib- 
erty, he  saw  the  real  form  and  face  of 
Mrs.  Lovell  asking  with  anxious  look 
and  audible  words  for  his  assistance. 

She  wanted  his  help.  Yet  wiiat  help 
could  he  give  her  ?  This  was  the  prob- 
lem that  now  occupied  his  thoughts. 
She  wanted  to  escape  from  Paris,  and 
how  could  he  assist  her  to  accomplish 
this  ?  He  knew  very  well  that  the  place 
was  "  straitly  shut  up,"  and  that  no  one 
could  either  enter  or  depart  through 
that  living  wall  which  the  enemy  main- 
tained around  the  beleaguered  city. 
The  notice  of  the  approach  of  the 
enemy  had  been  frequent  and  alarm- 
ing, and  the  warning  of  the  coming 
doom  had  been  sufficient  to  drive  away 
all  who  were  in  a  position  to  leave. 
Almost  all  foreigners  had  long  since 
left.  A  few  had  remained  out  of  hardi- 
hood ;  but  there  were  none  except  ;\Irs. 
Lovell  who  had  remained  on  account 
of  ignorance.  The  discovery  of  the 
real  cause  of  her  stay,  though  it  put  an 
end  to  the  admiration  which  he   had 


;   » 


^1 


i  P 


I  ITS 


ill! 

Will 

fill 

Nrlll  «.«iii) 
»jll'||l£,S:^i:i 


j;,i8'i 


III:; 
l^lllbmi^'i 

|'"illn,.!ilri'i 
t'lilHll#'. 

*  i.lilll-f'  ■' 

t'liii'H'in'  ! 
!  lUiMfti;- 

Slrsi'l'i'i 

!!  Es'M'N' 
tiniiiiati'l^' 

««:M  pill 

111!  ^'^1 


82 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


felt  for  what  he  considered  her  "pluck," 
did  not  at  all  affect  his  desire  to  help 
her. 

Yet  how  could  he  help  her  in  her  de- 
sire to  escape  ?  This  was  the  problem 
that  took  up  all  his  thoughts  ;  and  it 
proved  to  be  a  problem  which  was  by 
no  means  easy  of  solution.  In  this 
state  of  mind  he  returned  to  his  lodg- 
ings. 

He  found  Carrol  there,  gloomy, 
meditative,  and  reticent.  In  such  a 
mood  Carrol  did  not  seem  to  be  at  all 
fitted  to  become  a  confidant  of  the 
thoughts  that  were  troubling  the  mind 
of  Grimes,  and  so  Grimes  did  not  feel 
inclined  to  make  any  mention  to  him  of 
the  events  of  the  day.  To  Grimes  it 
seemed  that  the  slightest  allusion  to 
the  ladies  would  only  madden  his  friend, 
and  bring  on  the  usual  tirade  against 
all  women  in  general,  and  against  Maud 
Heathcote  in  particular.  If  he  had 
come  to  any  conclusion,  or  made  up"  his 
mind  to  any  particular  plan  of  action, 
he  might  possibly  have  sought  the  co- 
operation of  Carrol ;  but  as  it  was  he 
was  all  at  sea,  and  had  not  as  yet  set- 
tled upon  anything.  The  consequence 
was  that  he  simply  held  his  tongue, 
and  allowed  himself  to  sink  into  his 
own  meditations.  On  the  other  hand, 
Carrol's  thoughts  were  certainly  not  of 
such  a  character  as  he  would  feel  in- 
clined to  communicate  to  any  friend, 
however  intimate.  He  was  on  this  oc- 
casion overwhelmed  with  self-reproach 
for  his  treatment  of  Maud.  He  had 
met  with  her,  he  had  listened  to  her, 
and  he  had  not  only  not  replied,  but  he 
had  allowed  her  to  leave  him  without 
being  conscious  of  her  departure.  The 
remembrance  of  this  made  him  utterly 
miserable  ;  and  the  misery  which  he 
felt  was  of  such  a  nature  that  he  could 
not  hope  for  sympathy  from  others, 
since  he  could  not  even  find  excuse  for 
himself. 

Grimes  meditated  most  earnestly 
over  his  problem  for  hours,  until  at 
last  he  fell  asleep ;  and  so  intense 
were  his  meditations  tli.il  they  did  not 
cease  even  then,  but  acconi])anied  him. 
These  dreams  did  not  accomplish  any- 


thing, however,  beyond  the  simple  fact 
that  they  served  to  keep  his  mind  fixed 
all  the  more  intently  upon  that  one  idea 
which  had  taken  possession  of  it,  and 
so  much  so  that,  on  the  following  morn, 
it  was  just  the  same  to  him  as  though 
he  had  been  wide  awake  all  through 
the  night. 

On  that  day  he  made  a  final  assault 
upon  the  American  Minister.  Fortu- 
nately for  him  there  was  a  tremendous 
rain-storm.  Now  it  happens  that  though 
the  people  on  the  continent  of  Europe 
can  endure  many  evils,  there  is  one 
thing  tliat  they  cannot  endure,  and  that 
is  a  thorough  soaking.  The  terrors  of 
rain  have  never  been  successfully  en- 
countered by  any  continental  people. 
To  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  alone  must 
the  credit  be  given  of  a  struggle  with 
rain  and  victory  over  it.  To  them  must 
be  credited  the  umbrella,  the  mackin- 
tosh, the  waterproof,  and  the  india- 
rubber  coat.  These  Anglo  -  Saxon 
inventions  are  still  comparatively  un- 
known to  the  benighted  nations  of  the 
Continent,  who  still  show  a  craven  fear 
of  rain,  and,  instead  of  boldly  encoun- 
tering it,  shrink  into  the  shelter  of  their 
houses  at  the  slightest  approach  of  a 
shower  ;  and  so  it  was  that  Grimes 
found  the  queue  dwindled  to  nothing- 
ness, and  at  last  a  way  opened  for  him 
to  the  ear  of  the  American  Minister. 

The  ambassador  sent  forth  by  the 
majority  of  the  nations  of  the  earth  gen- 
erally has  nothing  whatever  to  do  ;  and 
his  office  is  purely  ornamental,  being 
used  as  a  brilliant  reward  for  distin- 
guished political  merit.  He  is  a  lumi- 
nary tiiat  reflects  the  lustre  of  his  native 
country,  and  his  only  duty  is  to  shine 
as  bright  as  he  can.  The  one  exception 
to  this  is  the  American  Ambassador. 
He  has  to  do  everything.  He  has  to 
be  guide,  philosopher,  and  friend  to 
the  multitudinous  American  traveller. 
He  has  to  supply  him  with  passes  to 
all  manner  of  places,  to  shake  hands 
with  him,  to  listen  to  him,  to  warn,  to 
rebuke,  to  instruct,  to  be  instant  in  sea- 
son and  out  of  season.  But  of  all  the 
American  Ambassadors  that  have  ever 
lived,  it  may  safely  be  said  that  not  one 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors, 


83 


lias  ever  known  the  possibilities  of 
American  ambassadorial  duty  as  it  was 
known  to  the  man  who  represented  his 
country  in  Paris  during  the  siege.  For 
on  that  particular  occasion  the  Ameri- 
can eagle  olTered  to  gather  the  deserted 
chickens  of  all  nations  under  her  wings, 
and  Minister  Washburne  it  was  who 
had  to  officiate  as  representative  of  the 
benevolent  bird. 

Grimes  was  able  to  make  a  state- 
ment of  his  case  in  the  most  effective 
manner.  His  errand  now  was  totally 
different  from  what  it  would  have  been 
on  a  former  occasion.  Tlien  he  sought 
the  Minister's  aid  for  himself;  now  he 
sought  it  for  the  ladies.  His  former 
errand  would  also  have  been  more  suc- 
cessful, for  then  he  merely  wished  to 
fight,  but  now  his  wish  was  to  run 
away. 

The  Minister's  answer  at  once  chased 
away  all  the  bright  hopes  in  which 
Grimes  had  been  indulging,  and  ex- 
hibited to  him  the  utter  desperation  of 
his  case.  There  was  no  such  thing  as 
escape  possible  to  any  one  in  the  city, 
no  matter  what  nation  they  might  be- 
long to.  The  Prussian  rules  were  too 
stringent  to  be  set  aside  for  any  human 
being  whatever;  nor  was  theie  any  in- 
fluence sufficiently  potent  to  relax  the 
rigor  of  those  rules. 

Of  course,  after  such  information  as 
this,  Grimes  had  nothing  whatever  to 
say.  It  was  clearly  a  case  in  which 
there  was  no  opportunity  to  make  use 
of  any  argument  or  any  persuasion. 
Paris  was  as  entirely  isolated  from  the 
world  as  though  it  had  been  an  island 
in  the  midst  of  the  ocean,  unvisited  by 
ships  and  unknown  to  man. 

Tills  is  about  what  the  Minister  re- 
marked to  Grimes,  and  at  the  same 
time  he  alluded  to  the  fact  that  the 
only  communication  with  the  world  out- 
side iiad  been  contrived  by  the  ingenuity 
of  the  Parisians  ;  and  those  who  were 
sufficiently  desperate  might  now  try 
the  air  and  fly  away  in  a  balloon. 

The  suggestion  was  made  in  a  gen- 
eral way,  but  the  mention  of  balloons 
sank  deep  into  the  mind  of  Grimes  and 
attracted  all  his  thoughts  at  once.     He 


carried  this  thought  with  him  away 
from  the  embassy,  and  as  he  walked 
away  through  the  crowded  streets  he 
lost  himself  in  speculations  as  to  the 
feasibility  of  such  a  plan. 

A  balloon  ! 

Flight  in  a  balloon  ! 

At  first  the  idea  was  certainly  start- 
ling, in  fact  quite  preposterous.  But  a 
second  thought  made  it  much  less  so, 
and  a  third  and  a  fourth  made  it  seem 
rather  promising. 

A  balloon  ?  Why  not  ?  It  was  cer- 
tainly an  easy  mode  of  travelling.  No 
jolts,  no  plungings  and  rollings ;  no 
alternations  of  rapidity  and  slowness, 
but  all  calm,  smooth,  yea,  even  luxuri- 
ous. 

And  the  management.  Simple?  Why, 
no  mode  of  travelling  could  possibly 
equal  it  in  this  respect.  All  one  had 
to  do  was  to  pull  the  valve-rope  to 
bring  the  balloon  down  to  the  earth, 
and  throw  out  ballast  to  raise  it  to 
the  skies. 

As  to  undertaking  the  management 
of  the  untried  machine,  Grimes  had  no 
doubts  whatever  about  his  capacity. 
For  that  matter  he  felt  himself  fully 
equal  to  any  undertaking,  however 
strange  or  unfamiliar.  He  felt  within 
his  soul  a  consciousness  that  he  could 
manage  a  balloon,  just  as  he  felt  the 
same  consciousness  that  he  could  edit 
a  paper,  or  preach  a  sermon,  or  com- 
mand an  army.  "  Yes,"  said  Grimes 
proudly  to  himself.  "  Put  me  in  a  bal- 
loon, and  I  '11  run  it  with  any  profes- 
sional in  all  the  blue  ethereal  sky." 

In  fact  the  more  he  thought  of  this 
the  more  fascinating  did  the  idea  be- 
come, and  at  length  it  seemed  to  him 
not  only  a  practicable  mode  of  escape 
from  Paris,  but  the  easiest,  safest, 
pleasantest,  and  most  delightful  mode 
of  travelling  that  was  ever  devised. 
Tiiere  was  only  one  objection  that 
could  possibly  be  urged  even  by  the 
most  timid,  and  that  was  the  notorious 
fact  that  the  balloon  could  not  be 
guided,  but  was  at  the  mercy  of  the 
wind.  But  to  Grimes  this  did  not  seen 
any  disadvantage  whatever.  It  mi;;;ht 
be  taken,  he  thought,  as  an  cjijcction 


i  i" 


ii 


. 


84 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


I'"' 111  rwii'.' 

Win  fcl"! 

11!  "^Hil  • 


against  balloons  as  a  universal  mode 
of  travelling  where  the  traveller  wished 
to  reach  some  definite  place  ;  but  to  him, 
where  his  only  desire  was  to  escape 
from  this  one  point,  and  where  destina- 
tion was  a  matter  of  indifference,  this 
formed  no  objection  whatever.  Not 
the  slightest  difference  could  it  make 
to  him  where  the  wind  might  carry  him, 
whether  east,  west,  north,  or  south. 
One  thing,  of  course,  he  saw  to  be  de- 
sirable, and  that  was  not  to  start  in  a 
gale  of  wind.  "  In  any  ordinary  blow," 
he  thought,  "  I  'm  at  home,  and  I  'm 
ready  to  soar  aloft  to  the  everlasting 
stars." 

Over  such  thoughts  as  these  he 
finally  grew  greatly  excited,  and  deter- 
mined at  once  to  make  inquiries  about 
balloons.  Already  they  had  become 
an  article  of  necessity  to  the  Parisian 
world,  and  at  regular  intervals  they 
were  sent  forth  bearing  messages  or 
passengers  to  the  world  without.  Al- 
ready Gambetta  had  made  his  flight, 
and  dropped  from  the  skies  in  the 
midst  of  astonished  France  to  take 
up  the  rule  of  heaven-descended  mon- 
ster. 

What  Gambetta  has  done,  Grimes 
can  do. 

Such  was  the  general  conclusion 
which  summed  up  the  workings  of  the 
Grimesian  brain.  He  had  no  difficulty 
in  finding  out  the  locality  of  the  Bal- 
loon Depot,  and  in  course  of  time  he 
reached  the  place  and  stood  in  the 
presence  of  Monsieur  Nadar. 

The  establishment  was  an  extensive 
one.  The  exigencies  of  the  siege  had 
created  a  demand  for  balloons  as  the 
one  great  necessity  of  Paris,  and  every 
aeronaut  had  flung  himself  into  the 
business.  Prominent  among  these 
were  Messieurs  Nadar  and  Godard, 
both  of  whom  were  eminent  in  this 
celestial  profession.  Although  the  rad- 
ical deficiencies  of  the  balloon  as  a 
means  of  travel  can  never  be  remedied, 
yet  much  had  been  done  by  these  gen- 
tlemen to  make  the  balloon  itself  as  effi- 
cient as  it  is  possible  for  a  mere  balloon 
to  be.  A  new  material  had  been  in- 
vented, consisting  of  cotton  cloth  sat- 


urated in  india-rubber  solution,  which 
formed  a  substance  that  was  (juitc  air- 
tight and  at  the  same  time  far  clicaper 
than  the  silk  which  had  formerly  been 
used,  as  well  as  stronger.  Thus  a  better 
balloon  was  now  made  at  a  very  much 
lower  price  than  formerly.  Other  im- 
provements had  also  been  made  in  the 
netting,  in  the  valve-rope  and  valve, 
and  in  the  material  used  for  ballast. 
Its  structure  was  now  simple  enough 
to  be  understood  by  a  child. 

M.  Nadar  informed  Grimes  that  the 
weather  had  been  unsuitable  for  some 
days  past,  and  that  none  had  left  the 
city,  but  he  hoped  after  this  rain  there 
would  be  one  or  two  quiet  days.  He 
had  several  balloons  ready,  which  he 
could  prepare  on  short  notice.  Grimes 
asked  him  his  opinion  as  to  the  possi- 
bility of  his  managing  a  balloon  him- 
self; not  that  he  doubted  it  himself, 
but  he  was  naturally  desirous  to  see 
what  another  person  might  think.  To 
his  great  delight,  Nadar  informed  him 
that  the  mere  management  of  a  balloon 
was  very  simple,  the  chief  requisite 
being  presence  of  mind  and  cool  cour- 
age. 

None  of  the  balloons  which  were 
ready  could  carry  as  many  as  four,  nor 
did  Grimes  feel  particularly  anxious  to 
take  the  whole  party.  He  felt  confi- 
dent that  he  could  manage  the  balloon 
if  he  had  only  one  other  passenger,  — 
Mrs.  Lovell,  for  instance.  As  to  I\Iiss 
Heathcote,  he  felt  that  it  would  be 
safer  for  her,  as  well  as  plcasanter  for 
him,  if  she  went  in  another  balloon. 
He  thought  that  Carrol  might  go  with 
her.  At  the  same  time  he  did  not 
think  that  Carrol  would  be  capable  of 
managing  a  balloon  himself;  and  so 
he  proposed  to  engage  an  aeronaut  to 
navigate  the  other  one.  Thus  every- 
thing, as  he  thought,  would  be  fair  and 
respectable,  and  safe  and  pleasant,  and 
they  could  arrange  a  common  rendez- 
vous, where  they  could  all  meet  again 
in  a  general  reunion,  and  congratulate 
one  another  over  their  escape. 

It  was  a  plan  which  seemed  to  him 
to  be  so  pleasant  in  every  respect  and 
from  every  point  of  view,  that  his  whole 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


85 


soul  was  now  set  upon  carrying  it  into 
cxccOtion.  His  last  interview  witli  Mrs. 
Lovell  had  produced  a  very  strong 
and  very  peculiar  effect  upon  him. 
Her  allusions  about  constancy  were  not 
made  with  reference  to  her  first  hus- 
band, and  he  was  too  modest  to  ven- 
ture to  appropriate  them  to  himself; 
but  still,  though  they  were  not  altogeth- 
er intelligible,  they  were  suggestive  of 
very  pleasant  possibilities. 

There  were  two  difficulties,  however, 
in  the  way  of  his  plan,  which  might 
prevent  its  accomplishment.  The  first 
was,  the  possible  unwillingness  of  Mrs. 
Lovell  to  make  such  a  journey.  The 
otlier  was,  the  possible  refusal  of  Car- 
rol to  have  anything  to  do  with  Maud. 
Each  of  these  difficulties  would  have 
to  be  encountered.  As  to  the  first,  he 
trusted  very  much  to  his  own  powers 
of  persuasion.  He  felt  that  Mrs.  Lov- 
ell's  prejudices  against  ballooning  were 
merely  idle  fears  which  could  be  readily 
dissipated,  if  he  only  should  explain  to 
her  how  simple,  pleasant,  safe,  agree- 
able, and  delightful  that  mode  of  trav- 
elling was,  and  if  he  could  only  induce 
her  to  put  implicit  confidence  in  him. 
As  to  Carrol,  he  hoped  to  be  able  to 
persuade  him  also  ;  but  as  yet  he  did 
not  bestow  much  thought  upon  him. 
Tiie  great  difficulty  he  rightly  felt  would 
be  to  persuade  Mrs.  Lovell.  Strangely 
enough,  in  all  tins  he  never  thought  of 
any  difficulty  on  the  part  of  Maud. 
This  arose  from  the  fact  that  he  was 
so  in  the  habit  of  identifying  her  with 
her  sister,  that  if  Mrs.  Lovell  should 
only  consent  to  go,  it  seemed  to  him 
to  follow,  as  a  matter  of  course,  that 
Maud  would  go  with  her. 


XVIII. 

A  TERRIBLE   PROPOSAL. 

Of  course  such  a  plan  as  the  one 
wliich  Grimes  had  been  thus  re- 
volvmg  from  his  profound  medita- 
tions could  not  be  kept  secret  from 
one  who  was  to  play  so  important  a 
part  in  it  as  Carrol ;  and  to  tell  him 
the  plan  meant  a  general  narration  of 


all  the  events  of  the  day,  including  his 
meeting  with  Mrs.  Lovell,  and  her  ap- 
peal to  him  for  help  There  was  a 
strong  repugnance  In  the  breast  of 
Grimes  against  any  such  disclosure, 
and  his  native  delicacy  revolted  against 
breathing  into  another  ear  the  story 
of  his  reviving  tenderness  ;  but  it  had 
to  be  done.  After  a  faint  attempt  to 
discuss  the  subject  in  a  commonpl.ace 
manner,  he  gave  it  up  and  launched 
forth  into  an  enthusiastic  description 
of  Mrs.  Lovell's  candor,  her  gentleness, 
her  beauty,  and  her  trustful  disposition, 
from  which  Carrol  was  able  to  gather 
a  very  correct  idea  of  the  state  of  mind 
into  which  his  friend  had  passed.  But 
all  this  was  of  far  inferior  interest  to 
Carrol  compared  with  the  one  striking 
fact  that  Grimes  had  accompanied  Mrs. 
Lovell  to  her  lodgings,  that  he  knew 
her  address,  and  that  the  clew  to  Maud 
which  he  had  thought  lost  was  once 
more  recovered.  He  asked  eagerly  af- 
ter their  address,  and  Grimes  told  him  ; 
after  which  he  relapsed  into  his  for- 
mei  silence. 

Gr.mes  looked  at  him  attentively  for 
a  f.  w  moments,  and  then  exclaimed  in 
a  cordial  tone  of  approbation,  "  VVal 
now,  I  must  say  I  like  that.  That  has 
the  right  ring.  You  talk  like  a  man. 
I  was  afraid  that  the  very  mention  of 
the  ladies  would  act  on  you  like  a  red 
rag  on  a  bull.  But  you  take  the  men- 
tion calmly,  and  even  show  a  gentle- 
manly interest  in  them.  Carrol,  my 
boy,  by  those  words,  you  've  taken  a 
tremendous  load  off  my  mind,  and 
saved  me  about  ten  hours  of  solid  talk. 
So  you  're  all  right,  are  you  ?  If  so,  I 
say,  three  cheers." 

"  O  well,"  said  Carrol,  "  the  fact  is, 
I  begin  to  think  I  was  unjust  to  —  to 
her  —  and  that  there  was — a — a  mis- 
take —  " 

He  would  have  said  more,  for  he 
now  felt  keenly  how  ungenerous  and 
how  base  his  suspicions  had  been,  and 
he  also  felt  most  profoundly  the  per- 
fect truth  and  constancy  of  Maud.  Yet 
he  could  not  tell  any  more  than  this, 
certainly  not  to  Grimes  ;  so  he  held 
his  tongue. 


86 


A  Comedy  of  Tcircrs. 


'Ml 

•ai-iimtiill' 
'11  III  •»»,«- 


mm 

'■'l.tiiliiil'''-,' 


Woniii 
niniilMi 
tnHM  w 

■|»i»i:f 


HI*  I  ill 


"All  liglit,  my  boy,"  said  Clrimes, 
cheerily.  "  You  'vc  tonic  rouncl  at  List ; 
I  don't  care  how,  so  long  as  you  've 
come.  And  now  I  want  to  tell  you 
about  a  plan  I  've  been  concocting  for 
the  escape  of  the  ladies  from  this 
prison.  They  're  frightened,  no  doubt. 
They  want  to  get  away,  ere  it  be  eter- 
nally too  late  ;  and  as  they  've  apjiealcd 
to  me,  why  it  stands  to  reason  that  I 
must  be  up  and  doin',  and  help  them 
somehow,  and  for  that  matter  so  must 
you.  You  acknowledge  that  yourself, 
don't  you  ? " 

"  Yes,"  said  Carrol. 

"  Wal,"  said  Grimes,  "  ordinary 
means  of  escape  are  of  no  use  at  all. 
Paris  is  a  bottle  corked  up  tight.  You 
can't  get  out  nohow,  that  is  by  any 
common  way  ;  you  've  got  to  try  some- 
thin'  extraordinary.  You  're  aware, 
perhaps,  that  no  human  being  can 
pass  from  this  village  to  the  world 
outside,  or  come  from  that  world  to 
us.  For  between  us  and  them  there 
is  a  great  gulf  fi.xcd.  Are  you  aware 
of  that .' " 

"  Of  course !  Everybody  knows  that 
Paris  is  blockaded  perfectly,  and  has 
been  for  no  end  of  a  time." 

"Wal,  there  again  you  excite  my 
gratitude,  for  you  save  me  from  a  two 
or  three  hours'  talk  in  the  way  of  ex- 
planation. And  now  let  me  ask  you 
this.  Y'ou  know  there  is  one  way  of 
escape,  don't  you  ?  " 

"  One  way  ?  "  asked  Carrol,  doubt- 
fully. 

"  Yes,  by  doin'  the  American  eagle, 
and  soarin'  aloft  to  the  everlastin' 
stars  ;  in  plain  language,  by  takin'  to  a 
balloon  a  la  Gambetta." 

"  A  balloon  !  "  exclaimed  Carrol,  in 
amazement,  —  "a  balloon  !  "■ 

"  Yes,"  said  Grimes.  "  And  now  I 
want  to  ask  you  one  question.  Are 
you  man  enough  to  try  it  ? " 

"  Good  heavens,  man  alive  !  "  cried 
Carrol  ;  "  what  are  you  talking  abcut  ? 
Do  you  mean  to  say  that  the  ladies 
will  be  willing  to  go  in  a  balloon  ?  " 

"Wal,  I  don't  know  yet,  for  I 
hain't  mentioned  the  subject  to  them  ; 
but  Mrs.  Lovell's  remarks  indicated  a 


state  of  desperation  that  was  equal  to  a 
desperate  undertakin',  and  so  I  sifould 
n't  wonfler  a  bit  if  I  might  succeed  in 
liersuadin'  her  to  trust  herself  to  the 
unfatlioniable  tracts  of  ether.  O,  could 
I  fly,  I  'd  fly  with  thee  !  as  the  poet 
says.  lUit  never  mind  what  the  poet 
says  ;  what  I  want  to  know  is,  will  you 
go?  Will  you  take  Miss  Hcathcote  in 
one  balloon,  together  with  an  acri  il 
navigator,  while  I  take  Mrs.  LovcU  in 
my  own  personal,  particular,  and  in- 
dividual car  .' " 

"  I  ?  why,  of  course,"  said  Carrol ; 
"but  then,  how  under  heaven  do  you 
expect  ever  to  get  the  ladies  to  consent 
to  such  a  journey  .''  " 

Upon  this  Grimes  began  to  explain 
to  Carrol  the  grounds  of  his  hope,  and 
the  plan  that  he  had  made,  and  the 
way  in  which  he  expected  to  ca^ry  it 
out,  and  many  other  things  which  are 
unnecessary  to  report  just  here. 

This  conversation  with  Grimes  lasted 
far  into  the  night,  and  gave  to  Carrol 
the  material  for  agitated  thought  dur- 
ing the  wakeful  hours  that  intervened 
till  morning.  The  knowledge  of  ]\Iaud's 
whereabouts  opened  up  to  him  once 
more  the  chance  of  communicating 
with  her ;  and  now  that  he  was  aware 
of  the  truth  of  the  case,  now  that  he 
had  seen  her  tearful  eyes,  her  pleading 
face,  and  her  tremulous  lips,  since  he 
had  heard  her  low,  sweet  voice,  as  she 
told  her  simple  and  touching  story, 
there  had  arisen  in  his  heart  a  strong 
yearning  after  her  which  was  intolera- 
ble and  irresistible.  Should  he  yield 
to  his  feelings  ?  Should  he  seek  her 
out? 

"  But,  alas  ! "  he  thought,  "  why 
should  I  go  ?  and  for  what  end,  and 
with  what  hope  ?  She  can  never  be 
mine.  She  does  not  know  it,  but  there 
lies  between  us  an  unfathonial)le  gulf, 
over  which  we  cannot  pass  to  join  each 
other.  I  am  a  murderer  !  She  will  know 
all  some  day,  soon  enough  too.  Cun  I 
go  to  tell  her  that  ?  Impossible.  Can 
I  go  carrying  with  me  this  secret  ?  I 
cannot.  I  can  neither  keep  my  secret 
in  the  presence  of  her  pleading  eyes, 
nor  have  I  the  heart  to   tell  her   that 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


87 


which  would  mar  her  hopes  and  tlirow 
a  blight  over  her  young  life.  She  will 
learn  it  all  herself,  and  then  she  will 
understand  me  and  do  me  justice.  As 
to  this  flight,  if  she  is  willing  to  go,  I 
shall  rejoice  to  go  with  her,  and  trust 
myself  to  circumstances.  liut  till  then 
I  must  struggle  against  my  desires  and 
kee])  away  from  her." 

Grimes  was  naturally  prompt,  and  so 
on  the  following  day  he  set  forth  to  call 
on  Mrs.  Lovell.  He  had  been  some- 
what troubled  in  his  mind  as  to  the 
propriety  of  mentioning  Carrol's  name. 
With  him  it  was  a  difficult  question. 
For  Grimes,  it  must  be  remembered, 
had  only  heard  Carrol's  first  account  of 
his  rejection  by  Maud.  Carrol's  long 
tirades  against  her  had  deepened  the 
impression  which  that  story  had  pro- 
duced, and  he  very  naturally  concluded 
that  the  rejection  of  Carrol's  proposal 
had  been  done  by  Maud  quite  deliber- 
ately and  seriously.  He  was  aware  of 
Carrol's  love  for  her,  he  remembered 
the  bitterness  of  his  grief  over  his  re- 
jection, and  he  knew  how  u; fortunate 
the  consequences  had  been  for  his 
friend  in  many  ways.  He  never  had 
been  able  to  sympathize  with  Carrol's 
harsher  views  of  her  motives  and  her 
character ;  but  some  impression  had 
been  made  upon  him  by  denunciations 
so  persistent ;  and  he  had  come  to  feel 
as  much  dislike  for  Maud  as  it  was 
possible  for  a  chivalrous  man  to  enter- 
tain towards  a  beautiful  girl.  His  idea 
was  that  Maud  had  flirted  with  Carrol, 
and  had  encouraged  him  without  any 
intentions  of  accepting  him ;  and  as 
her  own  affections  had  not  been  en- 
listed, she  had  not  made  sufficient  al- 
lowance for  him.  He  thought  her  na- 
ture was  somewhat  cold  and  callous, 
and  that  her  rejection  of  Carrol  was 
owing  rather  to  indifference  or  to  van- 
ity than  to  anything  like  downright 
cruelty. 

With  such  views  of  Maud's  charac- 
ter, he  naturally  concluded  that  Carrol 
would  not  be  a  very  agreeable  compan- 
ion to  her  ;  and,  except  in  a  very  great 
emergency,  he  supposed  that  she  would 
refuse  to  go  with  him  altogether.    Now 


a  refusal  on  her  part  would  .spoil  his 
little  plan,  and  he  was  an.xious  that 
nothing  should  be  added  to  the  ordi- 
nary unpleasantness  of  a  balloon  voy- 
age to  make  it  more  dis.ngrecable  than 
it  was  in  itself.  And  so  Mr.  Grimes 
very  sagely  concluded  that  it  would  be 
best  not  to  mention  Carrol's  name  at 
all,  but  to  allude  to  him  merely  as  "a 
friend."  He  thought  that  if  Carrol 
could  only  be  with  Maud  under  unu- 
sual and  somewhat  serious  circum- 
stances, her  hard  and  callous  heart 
might  possibly  be  softened  and  she 
might  relent. 

On  seeing  him,  Mrs.  Lovell's  face 
lighted  up  with  aglow  of  genuine  pleas- 
ure, and  she  greeted  him  with  a  cor- 
diality that  was  very  flattering  indeed. 

"Wal,"  said  Grimes,  "and  how  are 
you  ?     Pooty  well  ? " 

"  O  thanks  ;  but  how  very,  very  good 
this  is  of  you,"  said  Mrs  Lovell  ;  "  and 
so  thoughtful,  too,  you  know.  I  was 
afraid  you  'd  forget  all  about  me." 

And  with  these  words  she  seated 
herself,  while  Grimes  did  the  same, 
looking  at  her  admiringly  all  the  time. 

"  Fine  weather  we  're  havin'  to-day," 
said  he,  "  especially  after  the  rain  yes- 
terday." 

"  It  really  is  quite  delightful,"  said 
Mrs.  Lovell,  "  though  I  have  not  been 
out  yet." 

"  But  it  did  rain  tremendous  yester- 
day, did  n't  it  now  !  "  persisted  Grimes, 
who  had  a  distressing  way  of  prosing 
about  the  weather,  when  Mrs.  Lovell 
was  crazy  to  have  him  talk  of  other 
things. 

"  O  yes,  I  dare  say,"  said  she  ;  "  but 
have  you  heard  yet  of  any  way  of  get- 
ting away  from  this  dreadful  jjlace  ? 
I  'm  really  very,  very  anxious,  do  you 
know.  It's  very  silly,  but  really  one 
can't  help  being  a  coward,  and  I  'm  sure 
there 's  every  reason  to  be  alarmed. 
Why,  I  heard  guns  yesterday,  —  posi- 
tively guns.  But  that  's  not  the 
worse." 

"  Wal,"  said  Grimes,  "  that  's  the 
very  thing  I  've  come  for  ;  that  is,  next 
to  havin'  the  pleasure  of  seein'  you, 
and  —  and  —  " 


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33  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


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A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


■'IIS: 

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j    iiiit II    ; ' 


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He  stopped  and  his  face  grew  very 
red. 

"  O,  how  good  of  you  ! "  said  Mrs. 
Lovell.  "  And  have  you  heard  of  any- 
thing ? " 

"  Yes,  'm,"  said  Grimes.    "  I  have." 

"  O,  what  is  it  ? "  cried  Mrs.  Lovell, 
eagerly. 

"  VVal,"  said-  Grimes,  "  I  've  got  a 
plan  that  I  think 's  goin'  to  work,  if 
you  '11  only  fall  in  with  it." 

"  A  plan  ? "  said  Mrs.  Lovell,  eagerly ; 
"  O,  what  is  it .-'  But  how  really  nice, 
and  clever,  and  kind,  and  all  that ! 
But  what  is  the  plan,  Mr.  Grimes  ?  " 

"  Wal,"  said  Grimes,  "  I  don't  know 
exactly  how  it  '11  strike  you,  and  I  'm  a 
little  mite  afraid  that  you  mayn't  alto- 
gether like  the  looks  of  it." 

"  O,  I  'm  sure  I  '11  be  perfectly 
charmed !  1  'm  %\yc&you  would  n't  think 
of  any  plan  which  would  not  h^  perfectly 
agreeable,  Mr.  Grimes." 

"Wal,  I  hope  you'll  like  it,"  said 
Grimes,  slowly  and  thoughtfully,  "but 
I  don't  know  about  it  just  yet ;  you  see 
the  bother  of  it  is,  in  the  first  place  we 
've  got  to  divide  ourselves." 

"  Divide  ourselves  r  " 

"Yes,  that  is  to  say,  you've  got  to 
separate  yourself  from  your  sister,"and 
I  don't  know  how  you  '11  like  that." 

"  Separate  ?  what,  from  ALiudie  ?  " 
exclaimed  Mrs.  Lovell;  "what,  leave 
.  Maudie  ? " 

"  O,  she  '11  be  all  right.  There  's  a 
friend  of  mine  that  's  goin'  too,  and 
he  '11  put  her  through." 

"  Maudie  !  but  I  can't  separate  from 
Maudie,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell,  sadly.  "I 
really  can't.  Poor,  dear  Maudie  !  What 
would  become  of  her  if  she  went  away 
by  herself.?" 

"O,  wal  now,"  said  Grimes,  "there 
ain't  the  least  mite  of  danger.  My 
friend  would  die  rather  than  have  her 
run  any  risk.  He  's  a  man  of  honor, 
an  American,  and  a  gentleman.  He 's 
goin'  olV  himself,  and  I  spoke  to  him 
about  this  matter.  It  was  the  only 
thing  I  could  think  of.  I  'd  trust  him 
as  I  would  myself.  Miss  Heathcote 
could  go  with  him,  and  I  thought  that 
1  might  take  charge  of  you.    We  've 


got  to  divide  in  some  fashion,  and  that 
seemed  to  me  to  be  the  best  way. 
But,  if  you  feel  anxious  about  Miss 
Heathcote,  why  I  'd  agree  to  take 
charge  of  her,  and  you  could  go  with 
my  friend." 

This  last  offer  was  an  act  of  immense 
self-sacrifice  on  the  part  of  Grimes,  and 
it  was  made  in  a  very  doleful  tone  of 
voice. 

"  O,  I  don't  know,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell, 
slowly,  "  that  it  is  altogether  necessary 
to  do  that ;  in  fact,  the  trouble  is 
about  Maudie  being  separated  from 
me.  Could  n't  we  manage  in  any  way 
to  go  together,  M*  Grimes  ?  It  would 
be  so  very,  very  sad  to  be  separated. 
Couldn't  that  be  avoided  in  any  way, 
Mr.  Grimes  ?  " 

And  Mrs.  Lovell  turned  to  Grimes 
with  an  appealing  look  that  was  really 
most  pathetic. 

Grimes  hesitated,  and  all  his  plan 
was  once  more  revolved  in  his  mind. 

"  No,  'm,"  said  he  at  length,  with 
much  decision,  —  "no,  'm.  I  don't  ex- 
actly see  how  I  could  manage  to  fix  it 
that  way." 

Mrs.  Lovell  sighed. 

"  I  'm  sure,"  said  she,  "  I  don't  be- 
lieve that  poor  Maudie  would  ever 
consent,  but  then  she  is  sometimes 
very,  very  set,  and  I  really  don't 
know  but  that  she  might  be  brave 
enough.  But  how  I  could  ever  bear 
to  have  her  leave  me  I  really  do  not 
know." 

"  Wal,"  said  Grimes,  who  felt  it  to  be 
his  duty  to  disarm  her  fears  as  far 
as  possible  and  to  soothe  her  natural 
anxiety,  —  "  wal,  after  all,  you  know,  it 
won't  be  for  long.  It  '11  only  be  for  a 
few  days  at  the  most.  You  '11  then  be 
joined  again  and  meet  to  part  no 
more." 

Mrs.  Lovell  shook  her  head  sadly 
and  solemnly. 

"  Wal,  the  fact  of  the  matter  is,  'm," 
said  Grimes,  "  it  can't  be  managed,  as 
I  can  see ;  for,  you  see,  it  won't  hold 
more  'n  two." 

"  It  ? "  repeated  Mrs.  Lovell.  "  What 
do  you  mean  by  it  ?  Is  it  a  carriage  ? 
Why,  I  'm  sure  I  can  sit  anywhere,  so 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors, 


89 


long  as  I  have  Maudie,  and  know  that 
she  is  safe.  Or  is  it  a  horse  ?  Are  we 
to  go  on  horseback  ?  And  why  can't 
we  go  together  ?  I  'm  sure  I  don't  see 
why  we  can't  go  together,  Mr.  Grimes. 
Why,  I  'd  be  willing  to  ride  behind 
Maudie,  or  even  to  walk  so  long  as  I 
had  her  with  me." 

"  Wal,  'm,  the  fact  of  the  business 
is,  it  ain't  a  carriage,  nor  a  horse,  nor 
is  it  any  kind  of  land  conveyance,  or 
water  conveyance  either.  You  see, 
our  position  is  a  little  pecul..\r,  and  to 
escape  from  Paris  requires  verv  pecu- 
liar contrivances.  Now,  'm,  my  plan 
had  reference  to  a  —  a  balloon." 

At  this  Mrs.  Lovell  started  and  re- 
garded Grimes  in  unspeakable  amaze- 
ment. 

"  A  what ! "  she  said  ;  "  a  balloon  ?  " 

"  Yes,  'm,"  said  Grimes  firmly,  for 
he  felt  that  the  time  had  come  to  grap- 
ple with  this  subject,  and  that  the  ques- 
tion must  be  decided  at  once. 

"  A  balloon  ?  "  repeated  Mrs.  Lovell. 
"  You  can't  really  mean  what  you  say. 
A  balloon  ?  O  Mr.  Grimes  !  and  I 
thought  all  the  time  that  you  were  my 
friend." 

"  A  bailor,!!  ?  "  said  Grimes,  who 
felt  wounde  J  by  this  implied  reproach. 
"A  balloon?  Why  not?  Why,  'm, 
a  balloon  is  the  safest  and  the  easiest 
mode  of  travel  that  has  ever  been  in- 
vented. I  'm  aware,"  he  continued 
with  engaging  candor,  "that  there  does 
exist  a  kind  of  prejudice  against  bal- 
loons, but  I  assure  you  that  it 's  quite 
unfounded.  You  only  get  into  your 
balloon,  let  the  wind  be  fair,  and  the 
weatiier  any  ways  moderate,  and  let  a 
cool  head  have  the  navigation  of  her, 
and  I  '11  bet  any  money  that  you  go  by 
that  balloon  easier,  pleasanter,  quicker, 
safer,  and  altogether  happier  than  by 
any  mode  of  conveyance  known  to  mor- 
tal man.  Now,  I  ktiow  this  to  be  the 
case  as  sure  's  my  name  's  Grimes. 
Fact,  'm." 

"  A  balloon  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Lov- 
ell, upon  whom  Grimes's  remarks  had 
made  not  the  least  impression,  but  who 
still  clung  to  her  prejudices  against 
that  mode  of  travel  with  unfaltering 


pertinacity,  —  "a  balloon?  Why,  Mr. 
Grimes,  you  cannot  possibly  be  in  ear- 
nest. Why,  it 's  downright  insanity. 
A  balloon  ?  Why,  can  you  possibly 
suppose  that  I  could  have  the  rashness 
to  venture  into  a  balloon  ?  Why,  I  'm 
sure  I  'd  just  as  soon  think  of  allowing 
myself  to  be  fired  from  a  cannon.  And 
is  that  all  that  you  can  do  for  me  ?  O 
dear  !  Then  I  'm  afraid  that  our  case 
is  indeed  hopeless,  and  that  nothing 
remains  but  to  face  the  worst." 

Mrs.  Lovell  spoke  in  a  despairing 
tone  which  deeply  affected  her  hearer. 
Grimes  sat  looking  quite  cruslied,  with 
an  expression  on  his  face  wiiich  was 
made  up  of  deep  disappointment  and 
equally  deep  remorse.  But  he  strug- 
gled gallantly  against  both  of  these 
feelings,  and  at  length  found  voice  to 
speak. 

"  Wal,  now,  really,  'm,  it  strikes  me 
that  you  're  puttin'  it  a  little  too  strong 
altogether.  When  you  speak  of  de- 
spair, and  facin'  the  worst,  you  see 
there  is  a  remedy.  After  all,  balloon- 
in'  ain't  so  bad  as  despair.  Lots  of 
people  are  leaviu'  Paris  all  the  time  by 
this  mode  of  conveyance.  There  ain't  a 
single  fault  you  can  find  with  it,  except 
that  you  can't  guide  them  very  straight. 
That  might  be  an  objection  !"  you 
wanted  to  go  to  some  place  in  partic- 
ular. But  you  see  you  don't  want  that. 
You  simply  want  to  get  out  of  Paris, 
no  matter  where  you  go.  Now  a  bal- 
loon will  do  just  exactly  that  for  you. 
It'll  take  you  far  enough  awav  irom  here 
to  put  you  out  of  reach  01  battle  and 
murder  and  sudden  death ;  and  plague, 
pestilence,  and  famine ;  and  sieges, 
blockades,  and  bombardments.  Now, 
if  a  balloon  '11  do  just  what  you  want  to 
be  done,  and  no  more,  I  don't  see  why 
you  should  find  fault  with  it  because  it 
don't  do  what  you  don't  want  it  to  do, 
and  what  it  don't  pretend  to  do." 

To  this  Mrs.  Lovell  opposed  the 
danger  of  such  a  mode  of  travel. 
Whereupon  Grimes  hastened  to  ex- 
plain that  there  was  no  danger  at  all. 
Upon  this  a  long  conversation  fol- 
lowed, in  which  Grimes  endeavored  to 
prove  that  a  balloon  was  not  only  free 


90 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


)  « 


w'li  m  I 

Mill  If ; 

''hi 


'II  '* 


from  danger,  but  actually  safer  than 
terra  ^.r»ia.  These  arguments,  how- 
ever, made  but  little  impression  upon 
Mrs.  Lovell,  who  found  herself  quite 
unable  to  overcome  her  fears. 

The  end  of  it  was  that  Grimes,  as  he 
rose  to  go,  informed  her  that  he  would 
call  again  in  two  days,  and  exhorted  her 
to  think  over  his  plan.  If  she  could 
bring  herself  to  accept  it,  he  would  be 
ready  to  leave  at  once ;  if  not,  then  it 
would  be  necessary  for  her  to  remain 
in  Paris  during  the  siege. 

And  so  he  departed,  leaving  Mrs. 
Lovell  in  a  state  of  mind  bordering  on 
despair. 

XIX. 

THREATS  CUT  SHORT. 

The  desire  which  Mrs.  Lovell  had 
expressed  for  escape  was  certainly  no 
weaker  than  it  had  been,  nor  had  her 
sense  of  present  danger  in  any  way 
lessened.  This  sense  of  danger  arose 
from  various  causes  which  must  have 
fully  revealed  themselves.  One  class 
of  dangers  were  those  which  were  con- 
nected with  the  siege,  involving  plague, 
pestilence,  famine,  battle,  murder,  sud- 
den death,  explosions,  bombardments, 
and  red-hot  shot,  with  other  things  of 
a  similar  character ;  all  of  which  usually 
go  to  make  up  a  first-class  siege.  The 
other  class  of  dangers  were  those  which 
arose  from  the  vindictive  n  .nace  of 
Du  Potiron,  and  his  possible  powers 
for  carrying  his  threats  into  execution. 
What  these  might  be  she  could  not  ex- 
actly know,  and  these  dangers,  there- 
fore, became  all  the  more  terrible  from 
being  mysterious  ;  but  among  the  most 
prominent  of  those  evils  which  might 
be  impending  from  this  quarter,  her 
fancy  suggested  arrests,  imprisonment, 
separation  from  Maud,  trial,  condemna- 
tion, and,  to  crown  all,  the  guillotii. . 

Such  fancies  as  these,  whatever  n^  ^^ht 
be  their  cause,  were  certainly  not  adapt- 
ed to  promote  peace  of  mind  or  serenity 
of  soul.  Yet  such  was  the  structure  of 
Mrs.  Lovell's  character,  that  she  did 
not  allow  any  unusual  depression  of 
spirit  to  appear.     Her  chief  desire  was 


to  keep  these  troubles  secret  from 
Maud,  for  it  will  be  seen  by  this  time 
that  one  of  Mrs.  Lovell's  strongest 
characteristics  was  a  most  devoted  and 
self-sacrificing  affection  for  her  younger 
sister.  For  this  reason  she  had  not 
told  her  anything  about  the  particulars 
of  Du  Potiron's  later  visits,  so  th.it 
Maud  was  in  complete  ignorance  of 
that  person's  plans  and  threats. 

The  next  day  came,  and  brought  a 
new  trouble  to  the  alfiicted  lady.  Tiiis 
new  trouble  came  in  the  visible  form 
of  Madame  Guimarin,  who  waited  on 
Mrs.  Lovell  and  requested  a  private  in- 
terview. With  some  surprise  Mrs. 
Lovell  granted  the  request,  and  Ma- 
dame Guimarin,  prepared  to  make 
known  the  object  of  her  call. 

With  many  apologies  and  much  cir- 
cumlocution she  mentioned  the  fiict 
that  she  would  be  compelled  to  give 
up  her  house  and  seek  a  new  home 
for  herself.  She  assigned  as  the  cause 
of  this  decision,  first,  the  absence  of 
lodgers ;  secondly,  her  own  ill-health 
and  nervousness  ;  and,  thirdly,  a  dis- 
mal .apprehension  which  she  had  of 
some  mysterious  danger  which  was  im- 
pending. On  being  questioned  still 
more  closely  as  to  the  nature  of  this 
danger,  it  came  out  that  Du  Potiron 
had  been  tampering  with  her,  and  had 
managed  to  work  upon  her  fears  to 
such  an  extent  that  her  only  idea  now 
was  of  instant  flight.  She  had  no  con- 
fidence in  anything.  Paris  was  with- 
out law,  order,  or  anything  else.  The 
whole  city  might  rise  any  day  from  its 
present  deceitful  quiet,  and  the  whole 
population  might  prepare  at  a  mo- 
ment's warning  to  cut  one  another's 
throats.  Madame  Guimarin  had  gone 
through  1848,  and  the  coup  if  dint ;  and 
the  Red  Spectre  was  to  her  a  very  real 
and  a  very  terrific  apparition  indeed. 
The  good  lady  also  warned  Mrs.  Lovell 
to  seek  the  protection  of  some  friends 
if  she  had  any,  and  not  live  in  this 
way  apart  and  by  herself ;  for  she  had 
good  reason  to  believe  that  Du  Potiron 
was  preparing  some  very  unpleasant 
combination  against  her  ;  and  she  had 
equally  good  reason  to  fear  that  Du 


A  Comedy  of  Tenors. 


91 


Potiron's  influence  in  certain  quarters 
was  strong  enough  to  enable  him  to 
carry  it  into  execution. 

Ail  of  this  sank  deep  into  -Mrs.  Lov- 
ell's  soul  and  intensified  her  despond- 
ency. She  now  knew  of  nothing  else 
that  could  be  done  except  to  seek  once 
more  the  aid  of  Grinres.  She  could 
not  remain  in  her  present  lodgings 
much  longer.  Madame  Guimarin  had 
named  a  week  as  the  longest  possible 
time  that  her  exhausted  nature  could 
bear  the  terrible  strain  of  her  present 
position  ;  and  Mrs.  Lovell  saw  that  she 
would  have  to  seek  a  new  home  some- 
where within  that  time.  Madame  Gui- 
marin mentioned  one  or  two  eligible 
places  that  were  still  accessible,  but 
Mrs.  Lovell  concluded  to  wait  and  ask 
the  advice  of  Grimes. 

On  the  following  day  Grimes  was  to 
come  again,  and  in  her  distress  she 
looked  forward  to  his  appearance  with 
an  impatience  that  was  quite  unusual 
with  her.  At  length  a  visitor  was 
announced  and  she  hurried  to  meet 
him. 

To  her  intense  annoyance  she  found 
the  visitor  to  be,  not  Grimes,  but  the 
irrepressible  Du  Potiron.  The  annoy- 
ance which  she  felt  was  plainly  visible 
in  her  face  and  manner  as  her  eyes 
rested  on  him,  and  she  did  not  make 
any  effort  whatever  to  conceal  it.  But 
Du  Potiron  took  no  notice  of  it  what- 
ever, and  whether  he  saw  it  or  not 
could  not  be  detected  from  his  manner. 
His  manner,  indeed,  was  in  every  re- 
spect the  exact  counterpart  of  what  it 
had  been  on  his  former  visit :  that  is  to 
say,  first,  as  s!ie  entered  he  advanced  to 
meet  her  with  outstretched  hands,  eager 
eye,  and  enthusiastic  smile ;  then  on 
reaching  her  he  stopped,  laid  one  hand 
impressively  on  his  heart,  and  made  a 
most  elaborate  bow. 

"  Madame,"  said  he,  "  I  again  haf  ze 
honneur  of  to  presenter  nies  respecs, 
and  to  lay  mes  compliments  at  your 
feets." 

"  Really,  sir,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell,  "  I 
think  I  have  a  right  to  call  this  a  most 
unwarrantable  intrusion,  after  what  has 
already  passed  between  us.    I  thought, 


after  what  I  said  the  other  day,  that 
you  would  not  call  here  again." 

"  Mille  pardons,  madame,"  said  Du 
Potiron,  in  a  very  obsequious  tone.  "  1 
haf  not  ze  presumption  to  hope  zat  I 
sail  be  more  agrcable  to  you  zan  be- 
fore, an'  I  must  explain  zat  I  haf  arrive 
zis  time  to  see  ze  charmant  Mo,  to  whom 
I  wish  you  to  be  kind  enough  to  convey 
ze  assurance  of  my  consideration  dis- 
tingud,  and  inform  her  zat  I  wait  to  see 
her." 

"  If  you  have  come  again  to  sec  Miss 
Heathcote,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell,  "  I  can 
only  say  that  it  is  quite  useless,  for  she 
positively  will  not  see  you." 

Du  Potiron  smiled,  and  waved  his 
hand  deprecatingly. 

"  Mais,  madame,  will  you  not  haf 
consideration  ?  Conceive  what  ees  my 
chagrin.  Moreovaire  I  haf  rights,  zey 
must  not  be  despise  and  disregard." 

"  You  have  no  rights  whatever,  sir, 
as  I  have  already  explained.  What 
you  base  your  very  impertinent  claim 
on  is  a  letter  which  was  never  intended 
for  you." 

"  Pardon,  madame,  it  was  adtl'csse 
to  me,  in  response  to  a  letter  rent  by 
me  to  Mo.  What  more  would  you  haf .-' 
Mo  haf  nevaire  taken  back  her  ac- 
ceptance. Mo  still  claims  me  and  holds 
me.  She  nevaire  make  any  explana- 
tion of  what  you  haf  call  ze  mecstake. 
So  where  was  ze  meestake  ?  " 

"You  are  mistaken.  Miss  Heath- 
cote wrote  you  in  Montreal,  explaining 
it  all ;  and  it 's  very  strange  that  you 
never  got  it." 

Du  Potiron  at  this  shrugged  his 
shoulders  in  incredulity. 

"  TrCis  bien,  madame,"  said  he,  drop- 
ping the  tone  of  obsequious  politeness 
which  he  had  chosen  to  make  use  of 
thus  far,  and  adopting  one  of  insolent 
rudeness  ;  "  aha,  you  haf  said  sufli- 
cient,  and  now  eet  ees  my  turn.  I 
haf  sometin'  to  say  to  you.  Listen. 
I  say  I  sail  see  Mo  and  you  must  send 
for  her." 

"  That  is  absurd,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell,' 
quietly. 

"  Absurd  !  trts  bien  !  You  sail  see, 
madame.    I  haf  sometin  for  you  zat 


■I;     ,„ 

,1 


92 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


I'  I 
I  r.  . 


.,!  Hi* 

I   ru 


t|  ii  In 


sail  make  you  comprehend  me  better, 
and  become  more  complaisant  zan  you 
haf  been.  I  haf  come  zis  day  as  a 
friend  for  ze  last  time  ;  and  if  you  are 
unraisonable,  I  sail  come  again  with 
means  zat  sail  make  you  surrendre." 

"  I  have  already  mentioned "  said 
Mrs.  Lovell,  with  unalterable  i  :ss, 
"  the  fact  that  I  neither  believe  ii  your 
power  to  injure  me,  nor  fear  it." 

"  You  do  not  ?  Aha  !  tri;s  bien  ! 
then  you  sail  see  it.  Aha,  yes,  you 
sail  see  it.  You  sail  be  brought  before 
ze  sovereign  peuple.  You  sail  be  ar- 
rest. You  sail  be  prisoner.  You  sail 
be  punish." 

"  Who  is  to  do  all  this,  pray  ?  " 

"  Who  —  moi  —  I  —  myself;  in  ze 
name  of  I'humanitd." 

"That  is  quite  absurd,"  said  Mrs. 
Lovell.  "  I  live  quietly  here  ;  I  nev- 
er harmed  the  sovereign  people,  and 
they  don't  even  know  of  my  existence. 
So  how  they  can  arrest  me,  and  punish 
me  for  doing  nothing,  is  a  statement 
which  I  confess  I  am  quite  unable  to 
make  out." 

"  You  not  comprehend  ? "  said  Du 
Potiron.  "  Aha  —  irhs  bien,  zen  I 
sail  make  zat  you  sail  comprehend  ze 
realit(5.  Look  at  me,"  he  continued, 
slapping  his  chest  vigorously  and  ele- 
vating his  eyebrows,  "do  you  see 
me  ?  Who  am  I  ?  Moi !  I  am  a 
power.  I  haf  command,  influence,  au- 
toritif.  The  tyrant  ees  overtrown,"  — 
and  he  made  a  flourish  with  his  right 
hand,  —  "  ze  peuple  haf  triumph  ! "  — 
a  flourish  with  both  hands,  — "  they 
rise !  "  —  a  stamp  of  his  foot,  —  "I 
rise  !  "  —  violent  slapping  of  the  chest, 
"I  haf  command!"  —  another  violent 
slapping,  —  "I  am  obey!" — a  dark 
frown  and  both  hands  clutching  each 
other  convulsively,  —  "I  harangue  ze 
peuple  !  "  —  another  flourish  with  the 
right,  —  "I  indicate  zeir  enemies  !  "  — 
a  flourish  with  the  left,  —  "I  anform 
zem  of  ze  spies,  ze  myriad  spies  zat  fill 
Paris  !  "  —  hoarse  intonations  with 
clasped  hands,  —  "  ze  spies  zat  Bis- 
marck employ  to  effecter  ze  destruction 
of  la  France  !  "  —  eyes  rolled  up  and 
hands  crossed  over  breast,  —  "  zat  is 


my  work  I  "  —  a  wild  outcry,  and  hands 
flung  forward,  —  "  to  labor  for  ma 
patrie  !  "  —  two  or  three  steps  back- 
ward, —  "  and  save  it  from  ze  insidious 


spy 


I " 


a  groan.    "  Trds  bien,' 


smack  of  the  lips,  accompanied  with  a 
wild  glare  at  Mrs.  Lovell  and  followed 
by  the  stamp  of  both  feet,  —  "and  now 
do  you  comprehend  ?  Hah .'' "  —  a  wild 
gesture  with  clenched  fists,  —  "  do  you 
comprehend  ze  danjaire  zat  impends  ? 
Hah?"  —  another  fist  flung  out, — 
"  who  is  ze  next  spy  to  denounce  ? 
Hah  ? "  —  a  step  forwaru  ith  both  fists 
flung  forth,  —  "  who  is  ze  spy  secret  and 
mystdrieuse  zat  conceal  herself  here  in 
zis  rue,  in  zis  house  ?  Hah  .'  "  —  A  gasp. 

—  "  Eef  I  denounce  you,  how  sail  you 
save  yourself?  Hah  ? "  —  Another  gasp. 

—  "  Eef  I  denounce  you  as  a  spy,  what 
sail  you  become  in  deux  or  tree  day  ? 
Hah  ?  "  —  A  yell  of  maniacal  derision, 
accompanied  by  snorts,  stampmgs  of 
both  feet,  and  clappings  of  his  hands. 

—  "  And  zis  is  what  you  sail  haf !  I 
sail  show  no  mercy !  "  —  A  gasp.  —  "I 
sail  be  inexorable  !  "  —  A  howl. —  "You 
sail  be  prisoner!"  —  slappings  of  the 
breast,  gorilla  fashion,  —  "and  Mo  — 
Mo  le  charmante  —  le  tendre  —  Mo  !  " 
Here  his  eyes  were  raised  in  ecstasy 
to  the  ceiling,  and  the  sentence  died 
away  in  an  inarticulate  murmur. 

So  Du  Potiron  raved  to  this  extent 
and  still  further.  He  had  full  swing. 
He  let  himself  loose.  He  got  the  one 
idea  in  his  head,  and  let  his  fancy  play 
freely  round  it.  He  was  excited  as  a 
Frenchman  only  can  be,  and  acted  as 
an  excited  Frenchman  only  can. 

As  for  Mrs.  Lovell  she  had  never 
been  called  on  before  to  behold  an 
excited  Frenchman,  and  the  sight  of 
Du  Potiron  naturally  created  some  sur- 
prise. She  was  not  what  is  called  a 
brave  woman,  nor  did  she  ever  dream 
of  laying  any  claim  to  such  a  charac- 
ter ;  but  on  t'le  present  occasion  she 
did  not  shov/  the  slightest  fear.  It 
may  have  been  because  in  the  appear- 
ance of  Du  Potiron  there  was  less  of 
the  terrible  than  there  was  of  that 
other  quality  which  lies  closely  asso- 
ciated with  it,  —  the  grotesque,  —  bear- 


m 


A  Covicdy  of  Terrors. 


93 


ing  to  it  the  same  relation  which  the 
ridiculous  bears  to  the  sublime.  Mrs. 
Lovell  might  therefore  have  been 
amused  at  the  pranks  which  Du  Poti- 
ron  was  thus  playing  before  high  heav- 
en, had  tiice  not  been  various  serious 
thoughts  in  her  mind  which  checked  all 
tendencies  to  mirthfulness. 

Mrs.  Lovell  therefore  stood  looking 
nt  Uu  I'otiron,  neither  smiling  with 
mirth  nor  trembling  with  terror,  but 
regarding  him  with  cold  curiosity  and 
mild  wonder.  She  appeared  perfectly 
cool  and  self-possessed  ;  and  it  seemed 
as  though  the  spectacle  of  this  coolness 
only  served  to  increase  the  excitement 
of  the  visitor.  In  this  position  then 
these  two  were,  Mrs.  Lovell  cool,  calm, 
collected ;  Uu  Potiron  lashing  himself 
into  greater  fury,  gesticulating,  howl- 
ing, menacing,  taunting,  interrogat- 
ing, denouncing,  advancing,  retreating, 
shaking  his  fists,  and  going  through  all 
those  performances  which  have  already 
been  so  minutely  reported.  Now  at 
this  very  moment  and  in  the  very 
crisis  of  this  scene  another  person 
quietly  made  his  appearance,  entering 
the  room  behind  Du  Potiron,  in  such 
a  way  that  he  was  not  seen  by  that 
excitable  and  too  impetuous  person. 
The  new-comer  was  the  visitor  whom 
Mrs.  Lovell  had  been  expecting  im- 
patiently for  two  long  days,  for  whose 
appearance  she  had  looked  so  eagerly, 
and  who,  had  he  tried,  could  not  possi- 
bly have  chosen  a  better  period  for 
acting  the  dciis  ex  machina,  and  thus 
winning  the  everlasting  gratitude  of 
Mrs.  Lovell,  than  this  very  moment 
which  chance  had  thus  opened  to 
him. 

The  new-comer  was  Mr.  Grimes. 

At  the  sight  of  him  Mrs.  Lovell's 
heart  gave  a  wild  bound,  and  she  felt 
as  if  she  could  have  flung  herself  at 
his  feet  in  joy  and  gratitude.  Du  Poti- 
ron's  back  was  turned  toward  him,  so 
that  he  did  not  see  Grimes,  nor  did  he 
see  the  change  in  Mrs.  Lovell's  face ; 
for  just  at  that  moment  he  had  thrown 
his  eyes,  his  fists,  and  his  soul  toward 
the  ceiling,  and  was  in  the  midst  of  an 
eloquent  iuvocation  of  the  goddess  of 


Liberty  and  the  genius  of  France. 
After  which  he  once  more  resumed  iiis 
strain  of  menace. 

Grimes  stood  and  looked  around 
with  an  air  of  surprise ;  he  returned 
Mrs.  Lovell's  glance  with  a  benevolent 
smile  ihat  would  have  done  honor  to 
that  lady's  guardian  angel,  and  then 
stood  listening.  He  did  not  see  Du 
Potiron's  face  and  so  did  not  know  at 
first  who  this  eccentric  being  might  be, 
but  finally,  after  a  few  moments'  listen- 
ing, he  grasped  the  situation,  and  made 
up  his  mind  as  to  his  own  course.  Du 
Potiron  was  just  showing  Mrs.  Lovell 
how  inevitable  her  doom  was,  and  how 
dark  it  would  be,  when  r.t  that  moment 
Grimes  walked  toward  him  and  laid  a 
heavy  hand  on  his  shoulder. 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  somewhat  dryly, 
"all  that's  very  well ;  but,  my  friend, 
you  've  got  me  to  reckon  with,  and  it 
strikes  me  that  you've  left  that  fact 
out  of  the  account." 

At  this  Du  Potiron  started  as  if  he 
had  been  shot,  and  whirling  round 
found  himself  face  to  face  with  Grimes. 

For  reasons  that  have  already  been 
explained,  it  is  sufficiently  evident  that 
the  man  who  now  confronted  Du  Poti- 
ron was  one  of  the  very  last  whom 
he  would  have  wished  to  see,  and  he 
stood  staring  at  the  new-comer  in  dumb 
bewilderment. 

As  for  Grimes,  he  too  was  utterly 
amazed  at  seeing  Du  Potiron,  but  not 
at  all  disconcerted.  After  the  first 
surprise  his  glance  of  astonished  rec- 
ognition was  succeeded  by  an  expres- 
sion of  grim  satisfaction,  of  a  nature 
that  was  not  by  any  means  calculated 
to  reassure  Du  Potiron. 

"So  it's  you,  is  it.'"  said  Grimes, 
slowly  and  with  a  sardonic  smile.  "  I 
don't  think  we  've  had  the  pleasure  of 
meetin'  with  one  another  since  we 
parted  in  Montreal.  I  've  got  some- 
thin'  to  say  to  you,  and  if  you  'II  be 
kind  enough  to  step  this  way,  I  '11  take 
it  as  a  favor.    Allow  me." 

And  with  these  words  Grimes  grasped 
Du  Potiron  by  the  collar,  inserting 
his  hand  in  no  gentle  manner  down 
his  neck,  and    forcing    Du   Potiron's 


I 


\k 


!■ 


94 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


!     iff. 

:  .11' 


msk 

w'»i  ih' , 

lit.  Ill 


■r  if 


11 


head  back  in  a  particularly  unpleasant 
way. 

"  I  won't  detain  you  long,"  said 
Grimes  ;  "  and  this  lady  will  excuse  us 
for  a  moment." 

Du  I'otiron  struggled  and  gasped, 
but  to  no  purpose.  Grimes  walked 
solemnly  to  the  door  with  a  slow, 
steady  step,  like  Fate  dragging  his 
helpless  prey  after  him.  Arriving  out- 
side, he  dragged  him  along  the  hall 
till  he  reached  the  top  of  the  stairway. 
Then  he  stopped  ;  and,  still  holding 
him  by  the  collar,  he  stood  in  front  of 
him  and  glared  upc  •  him  like  some 
avenging  power. 

"  So,  this  is  the  way  you  pass  your 
time,  is  it  ? "  he  cried,  shaking  Uu 
Potiron  with  one  hand  till  he  trembled 
all  over,  and  holding  his  clenched  fist 
close  to  his  face.  "  So,  you  can't  find 
any  better  employment  for  your  time, 
can't  you,  than  to  come  here  and  bully 
an  unprotected  female.  You  misera- 
bly, skinny,  lean,  lantern-jawed,  frog- 
eatin'  Frenchman  you  !  What  do  you 
think  of  yourself  now  ?  Hey  ?  You 
did  n't  reckon  on  my  bein'  round,  did 
you  ?  Rather  think  not.  Don't  you 
feel  that  you  're  a  poor,  lost,  guilty 
sinner  by  nature  and  by  practice  ? 
Look  me  in  the  face,  you  miserable 
Parley  V^oo,  and  tell  me  what  you  mean 
by  this." 

All  this  time  Du  Potiron  had  been 
kicking,  struggling,  and  cursing ;  but 
kicks,  struggles,  and  sibilant  French 
curses,  with  the  accompaniment  of 
rolling  guttural  /s,  availed  nothing 
to  save  him  from  the  grasp  of  Grimes. 
At  this  last  appeal  he  gasped  forth 
something  about  "  Vengeance  —  you 
sail  softaire  —  Rdpublique  —  citizens 
of  Paris,"  and  other  incoherences. 

"  So  that 's  all  you  've  got  to  say,  is 
it  ?  Well  now,  listen  to  me,"  said 
Grimes,  fiercely.  "  If  you  ever  dare 
to  show  so  much  as  the  tip  of  your  in- 
fernal nose  in  this  place  again,  I  '11  kill 
you  !  Do  you  hear  that  ?  I  '11  kill  you  ! 
And  now  go." 

Saying  this.  Grimes  pushed  Du  Poti- 
ron forward  toward  the  stairs  and 
gave  him  a  kick.    Du  Potiron  went 


sprawling  down   and   fell  heavily  in  a 
confused  heap  at  the  bottom. 

Grimes  then  turned  back  and  walked 
toward  Mrs.  Lovell's  apartments. 

XX. 

DRIVEN  TO  EXTREMITIES. 

When  Grimes  came  back,  he  found 
Mrs.  Lovell  still  there.  She  was  very 
much  excited  and  began  to  pour  forth 
a  torrent  of  grateful  words.  She  told 
him  how  much  she  had  suffered  from 
the  impertinent  intrusions  of  Du  Poti- 
ron, and  how  he  had  threatened  her. 
In  her  explanation  she  did  not  allude 
to  Maud,  nor  make  any  reference  to 
Du  Potiron's  claim  on  her,  for  she 
thought  it  unnecessary.  Grimes,  how- 
ever, had  heard  Carrol's  story,  and 
knew  that  Du  Potiron  claimed  to  be 
her  accepted  lover.  The  presence  of 
the  Frenchman  in  Paris  was  rather  a 
puzzle  to  him  at  first ;  but  as  he  now 
recalled  the  fright  of  Carrol  on  board 
the  steamer,  he  perceived  that  his  own 
surmises  at  that  time  were  correct,  and 
that  Du  Potiron  had  actually  crossed 
the  ocean  with  them  ;  though  how  he 


had 


iged  to  conceal  himself  was 


a  my£  .ry.  To  Grimes  it  now  seemed 
as  if  Mrs.  Lovell  was  fighting  off  the 
Frenchman  from  Maud  ;  for  of  Maud's 
own  state  of  mind  about  the  matter  he, 
of  course,  knew  nothing. 

Mrs.  Lovell  all  the  while  evinced 
much  agitation,  and  this  grew  stronger 
and  stronger  as  she  went  on.  It  was 
the  result  of  her  intense  excitement. 
After  all,  that  interview  with  Du  Poti- 
ron had  been  a  sore  trial,  and  the  very 
calmness  which  she  had  maintained 
cost  her  no  small  struggle.  Now  that 
it  was  over,  a  reaction  took  place,  and 
her  nervous  excitement  grew  worse 
and  worse,  until  at  length,  in  spite  of 
her  efforts,  she  burst  into  tears. 

At  this  Grimes  was  overwhelmed. 
The  sight  of  Du  Potiron  had  created  an 
excitement  in  his  soul,  but  the  sensation 
was  of  an  entirely  pleasing  description. 
This  spectacle  of  Mrs.  Lovell  in  dis- 
tress, shedding  tears   before    him,  — 


A  Comedy  of  Tenors. 


95 


actually  weeping,  —  created  intense  ex- 
citement, but  of  a  kind  that  was  alto- 
getlier  painful.  He  looked  at  her  for  a 
few  moments  in  dumb  despair,  and  a 
flush  passed  over  his  face.  Then  he 
started  up  from  the  chair  on  wliich  he 
had  been  sitting  and  wandered  in  an 
aimless  way  about  the  room.  Then  he 
came  back  to  her  and  implored  her  not 
to  cry.  Then  he  resumed  his  wandering 
career.  At  length,  in  the  darkest  hour 
of  his  despair,  a  bright  thought  came  to 
him,  illuminating  all  his  soul.  He  at 
once  acted  upon  it.  The  thought  was  in 
the  highest  degree  natural.  The  thought 
had  reference  to  that  panacea  for  all 
woes  which  he  himself  always  carried 
about  his  person  ;  that  generous  spirit 
which  he  kept  imprisoned  in  his 
flask,  and  which  was  even  now  in  his 
pocket  all  ready  to  exert  its  benign 
influence  over  any  sorrowing  soul 
that  might  stand  in  need  of  it  ;  in 
short,  whiskey  :  so  Grimes  tore  his 
whiskey-flask  from  his  pocket  and  un- 
screwed the  stopper,  and  took  the  cup 
from  the  bottom  of  the  flask  and  poured 
out  the  whiskey  till  that  cup  was  full 
and  running  over.  The  fumes  of  the 
strong  liquid  arose  and  filled  the  room 
and  penetrated  to  the  very  soul  of  Mrs. 
Lovell,  as  it  wandered  far  away  in  the 
regions  of  sorrow  and  tears.  It  star- 
tled her.  She  opened  her  eyes  amid 
her  tears  and  stared  at  Grimes. 

He  was  before  her  on  one  knee,  with 
his  eyes  fixed  compassionately  upon 
her,  a  flask  in  one  hand,  a  cup  full  of 
whiskey  in  the  other.  This  he  was 
offering  her  with  a  mixture  of  helpless- 
ness and  anxiety  that  was  most  affect- 
ing. Now  Mrs.  Lovell  was  deeply  agi- 
tated, painfully  so  in  fact,  nerves  upset, 
and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  as  was  nat- 
ural, being  a  lady  of  delicate  frame  and 
slender  build  ;  Mrs.  Lovell,  I  repeat, 
was  excessively  agitated,  and  no  end 
of  direful  forebodings  at  that  time  filled 
her  heart,  increasing  that  agitation  ; 
but  at  the  same  time  the  spectacle 
which  Grimes  thus  presented  as  he 
held  forth  the  proff'ered  whiskey,  togeth- 
er with  the  fact  itself  of  whiskey  of  all 
liquors  being  offered  to  her,  was  so 


novel  and  so  droll,  that  it  produced  a 
complete  bouUverscmcnt  of  feeling. 
Terror  vanished.  Panic  fled.  Kear 
was  foi gotten.  A  long  peal  of  merry 
laughter,  on  the  healthy  side  of  the 
hysterical,  burst  from  her,  and  the  re- 
freshing effect  of  that  laughter  was 
such  tliat  it  restored  her  to  herself. 

She  declined  the  whiskey,  and  de- 
clared herself  quite  well  again.  It  was 
the  excitement,  she  said,  of  the  late 
scene  with  that  insane  Frenchman, 
coming  as  it  did  upon  other  exciting 
scenes. 

"  And  O,"  she  went  on,  "  this  awful, 
awful  place !  I  showed  no  fear,  Mr. 
Grimes,  no,  not  the  slightest ;  but  now, 
when  I  think  of  those  dreadful  Reds, 
and  this  man  with  his  threats,  I  declare 
I  dare  not  stay  in  Paris  a  moment 
longer.  But  how  can  I  escape .'  O, 
what  a  fearful  position  !  In  prison 
here  and  exposed  to  danger.  What 
can  I  do  ?  He  may  have  influence,  as 
he  says.  Paris  is  always  moved  by 
tlie  basest  of  the  population.  Robe- 
spierre was  a  miserable  charlatan,  yet 
he  ruled  Paris,  and  France  too.  Peo- 
ple that  in  other  places  would  only 
be  despised  become  great  men  in  this 
miserable  city.  Charlatans  and  knaves 
do  what  they  please  here.  And  how 
do  I  know  but  that  by  to-morrow  Du 
Potiron  himself  may  be  governor  of 
Paris  ? " 

"  That 's  very  true,"  said  Grimes,  as 
he  solemnly  returned  his  whiskey-flask 
to  his  pocket.  "It's  gospel  truth, 
every  word  of  it.  The  monkey  and  the 
tiger  go  together  to  make  up  the  Pa- 
risian. I  am  Du  Potiron's  master  to- 
day, but  he  may  be  mine  to-morrow. 
There  's  no  safety,  as  you  say,  ma'am, 
in  this  here  infernal  hole  ;  and  what 
you  've  got  to  do  is  this,  you  've  got 
to  fly." 

"  To  fly  ?  O,  how  glad  I  would  be  if 
I  only  could !  "  said  Mrs.  Lovell,  in  de- 
spairing tones. 

"  Wal,  'm,"  .said  Grimes,  "that  is  the 
very  thing  I  came  to  see  you  about  to- 
day. I  want  to  persuade  you  to  fly,  — 
to  fly  really,  and  literally,  —  to  fly  in 
the  air,   in  a  balloon.    '  Fly  with  me,' 


I"  I 


96 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


mi 

I  . 

iii: 


1    i>  t  n    M 

f   r  1 II     , 

1 » 

1    ;     1. 

1    i    M 

'I  i,  !:• 


is  a  poetic  invitation  which  you  find  in 
some  song  or  other,  but  I  now  say  it 
to  you  in  sober  prose." 

"  Hut  O,  Mr.  Grimes,  the  frightful 
danger ! " 

"Danger?  why  there  ain't  any  dan- 
ger at  all.  The  balloon  affords  the 
easiest  mode  of  travel  known  to  man." 

"  Easy  ! " 

"  Yes,  easy.  Why,  only  think,  you 
step  into  your  car.  The  balloon  rises, 
you  don't  feel  any  motion  at  all.  The 
earth  seems  to  sink  away  from  beneath. 
Then  it  glides  past  you.  You  seem  to 
be  perfectly  still.  If  you  look  down, 
you  see  the  country  sliding  away,  while 
you  are  motionless.  If  you  are  afraid 
to  look  down,  you  simply  shut  your 
eyes,  and  may  imagine  yourself  to  be 
in  your  easy-chair.  You  feel  no  mo- 
tion, you  don't  even  feel  any  wind.  In 
this  easy  and  agreeable  manner  you  are 
carried  away  from  this  m'rerable  place  ; 
and  when  you  have  gone  far  enough, 
you  descend  as  gently  as  a  flake  of 
snow,  and  find  yourself  in  Bordeaux,  or 
Havre,  or  perhaps  London.  Easy  .-• 
Why,  it 's  luxurious.  There  ain't 
any  such  travellin'  as  this  in  all  the 
world.  Why,  you'd  never  dream  of 
objectin',  if  you  knew  all  about  it  as  I 
do." 

"But  what  makes  people  so  afraid 
about  balloons  if  they  're  so  easy  ?  " 
asked  Mrs.  Lovell. 

"  Ignorance,  ma'am,"  replied  Grimes 
coolly,  "  mere  ignorance.  You  see, 
the  balloon  can't  be  utilized  for  ordi- 
nary purposes  of  travel,  because  it 's 
generally  at  the  mercy  of  the  wind. 
But  for  purposes  of  escape  it 's  inval- 
uable. You  get  into  your  balloon  on 
a  calm  day,  and  sit  quiet,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  few  hours  you  find  your- 
self far  away  from  all  danger,  safe 
and  sound,  free  as  a  bird  ))ossessed 
of  all  the  inalienable  rights  of  man, 
such  as  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of 
happiness." 

Mrs.  Lovell  listened  eagerly  to  this, 
and  in  spite  of  herself  was  favorably  af- 
fected by  the  confident  tone  of  Grimes, 
and  the  pleasing  picture  which  he  drew 
of  balloon  travelling. 


"  But  poor  Maudie  !  How  can  I  be 
separated  from  her  ?  " 

"  Why,  ma'am.  I  assure  you  she  '11 
be  as  safe  as  you.  My  friend  tliat  I 
told  you  of  '11  take  care  of  her ;  and  I 
assure  you  he  'II  answer  with  his  life 
for  her  safety,  just  as  I  will  for  yours." 

"But  who  is  he?"  said  Mr.s.  Lov- 
ell. "  I  cannot  bear  to  separate  from 
Maud ;  but  to  hand  her  over  to  the 
care  of  a  stranger  is  really  too  dread- 
ful." 

"  Wal,  as  to  that,  my  friend  ain't  ex- 
actly a  stranger  —  " 

"  Is  n't  he  ?  Well,  that  is  more  en- 
couraging. Who  is  he  ?  Do  we  know 
him  ?  Does  Maudie  know  liim  ?  Is 
he  a  friend  of  yours  ?  Who  can  he  be  ? 
It  can't  be  Mr.  Carrol." 

Mrs.  Lovell  made  this  suggestion 
in  the  most  natural  way  in  the  world, 
for  the  simple  reason  that  Carrol  was 
the  only  one  that  she  could  think  of 
who  was  at  once  an  acquaintance  of 
herself  and  of  Grimes.  .Siie  knew  also 
that  Carrol  had  crossed  the  ocean  and 
supposed  that  he  might  have  accom- 
panied Grimes  ever  since. 

As  for  Grimes,  he  had  not  intended 
to  mention  Carrol  for  reasons  already 
stated ;  but  since  Mrs.  Lovell  had  asked 
him  directly,  he  saw  no  particular  rea- 
son for  concealment,  and  so  he  at 
once  informed  her  that  Carrol  was  the 
man. 

This  information  excited  in  Mrs. 
Lovell's  mind  thoughts  of  an  impor- 
tant character.  The  fact  that  Carrol 
was  here  ready  to  take  charge  of  Maud 
was  in  a  certain  sense  very  reassuring. 
If  she  could  bring  herself  to  attempt 
such  a  flight,  she  certainly  could  not ' 
hope  to  find  a  better  companion  for 
Maud  than  he  would  be.  .She  under- 
stood the  difl^culty  that  had  arisen  per- 
fectly ;  and  though  she  had  not  heard 
of  their  recent  meeting,  she  felt  sure 
that  the  difliculty  was  a  trifling  one 
which  could  easily  be  explained.  She 
sympathized  deeply  with  Maud  in  the 
sorrow  that  she  had  suffered  on  ac- 
count of  the  misunderstanding  with 
Carrol,  and  longed  to  have  it  all  cleared 
up.    This  seemed  to  her  to  be  a  way 


A  Comedy  of  Teirors. 


97 


to  such  an  explanation.  If  a  balloon 
voyage  could  indeed  be  ventured  on, 
then  Maud  might  have  a  chance  to  ex- 
plain or  to  come  to  an  explanation,  and 
the  result  could  not  be  other  than  sat- 
isfactory to  all  concerned.  One  objec- 
tion still  remained,  and  that  was  that 
it  was  by  no  means  in  accordance 
with  les  convenances  of  society  for  a 
young  girl  like  Maud  to  be  committed 
to  the  care  of  a  young  man,  but  the 
natural  answer  to  this  was  that  in 
desperate  emergencies  Ics  convenances 
must  give  way ;  and  if  one  is  flying  for 
one's  life  from  pressing  ilanger,  one 
must  not  be  too  particular  about  the 
road. 

The  result  was  that  Mrs.  Lovell  be- 
gan to  look  more  favorably  upon  the 
plan  of  Grimes. 

"  I  do  assure  you,  ma'am,"  said 
Grimes  with  unchanged  solemnity,  —  "  I 
do  assure  you,  and  declare  to  you,  that 
you  are  not  safe  here.  A  balloon } 
why,  you  'd  be  safer  almost  in  a  sky- 
rocket than  you  are  here.  Paris  is 
more  like  a  lunatic  asylum  than  any- 
thing else  that  I  know  of.  Everybody 
is  ravin'  mad,  and  you  never  can  tell 
on  one  day  what  they  're  goin'  to  do  on 
the  next.  Paris  altogether  beats  me, 
and  the  more  I  see  of  the  place  and 
the  people  the  more  I  feel  dumbfound- 
ed. Now,  if  I  'd  only  myself  to  consider, 
I  'd  hang  on  here,  and  see  them  put 
this  siege  through,  for  I  've  never  been 
at  a  siege  before  ;  but  as  it  is,  I  give  up 
this  fancy  as  an  idle  piece  of  curios- 
ity, and  I  feel  that  the  highest  and 
proudest  dooty  of  my  life  is  to  devote 
myself  to  the  rescue  of  you  ladies  ; 
which  same,  I  'm  free  to  say,  my  friend 
Carrol  feels  similar  to  me,  and  is  like- 
wise ready  to  be  up  and  doin'.  AH 
that  I  wane  is  your  frank  and  cordial 
consent.  I  don't  want  you  to  be  timid 
about  it ;  I  want  you  to  feel  that  the 
thing  is  safe  and  easy." 

To  this  Mrs.  Lovell  had  many  things 
to  say,  all  of  which  tended  toward  as- 
suring herself  further  as  to  the  safety 
of  balloon  travelling.  Here  Grimes 
came  out  strong.  He  explained  the 
whole  principle  of  the  balloon.     He 


gave  a  full,  lucid,  and  luminous  de- 
scription of  its  construction.  He  de- 
scribed most  minutely  the  improve- 
ments that  had  been  made  with  the 
rationale  of  each.  He  gave  much  in- 
formation about  the  past  history  of 
balloon  voyages,  and  indulged  in  some 
speculations  as  to  the  future  prospects 
of  aerostation.  To  all  of  which  Mrs. 
Lovell  listened  patiently  and  attcn live- 
ly, willing  to  believe  the  best,  and  to  be 
convinced. 

"Your  decision,"  concluded  Grimes, 
"  must  be  made  at  once.  The  danger 
is  pressin'  and  the  balloons  are  ready. 
A  favorable  spell  of  weather  has  ar- 
rived. Now  is  the  accepted  time. 
We  can  start  off  at  once,  and  remem- 
ber that  in  a  brief  period  of  time  you 
will  soar  aloft  beyond  these  transitory 
troubles,  and  find  yourself  in  the  midst 
of  a  celestial  calm.  No  matter  where 
the  wind  may  blow  us,  there  we  may  go, 
and  we  will  find  safety  and  peace.  But 
to  do  this  we  must  leave  at  once.  In 
fact,  I  may  as  well  say  that  I  'vc  actu- 
ally engaged  the  balloons.  They  're 
mine.  We  've  got  to  go,  and  that 's 
the  long  and  the  short  of  it.  They  're 
fine  machines,  not  too  large.  Com- 
fortable even  to  luxury,  and  fitted  in 
every  way  to  carry  Grimes  and  his 
fortunes." 

Some  further  conversation  followed  ; 
but  the  end  of  it  was,  that  Mrs.  Lovell 
found  her  last  objection  answered  and 
her  last  scruple  removed  by  the  elo- 
quent, the  cogent,  and  the  resistless 
pleadings  of  Grimes  ,  and,  with  this 
understanding,  he  took  his  departure. 

Hitherto  Mrs.  Lovell  had  kept  all 
her  troubles  and  her  plans  a  profound 
secret  from  Maud  ;  but  now,  of  course, 
it  was  necessary  to  make  her  acquainted 
with  her  latest  decision.  The  best  way 
to  act  seemed  to  her  to  give  a  full, 
complete,  and  candid  narrative  of  all 
the  events  of  the  past  few  weeks,  so 
that  Maud  might  understand  the  state 
of  affairs,  and  comprehend  in  the  full- 
est manner  the  position  in  which  they 
were.  After  all,  it  was  Maud  who  was 
chiefly  concerned ;  it  was  for  her  that 
Mrs.  Lovell  incurred  the  danger  that 


!'V 


98 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


yMtj 


iir; 


1 1 


1.  li. 

IN 
"llllHl'l'' 


I  )i  » II 
I  rr... 
'    I  klli 

I '  'I 


slic  dreaded,  and  consequently  she  Iiad 
the  best  possible  means  of  influencing 
her  by  a  simple  representation  of  the 
facts  of  the  case. 

She  therefore  told  Maud  about  the 
various  visits  of  Du  Potiron,  his  imper- 
tinent assertions  of  a  right  to  call  on  her, 
his  insolent  demands,  and  his  violent 
threats.  She  informed  her  of  her  own 
encounter  with  Grimes  on  the  Champs 
Elysces,  and  her  appeal  to  him  for  help. 
She  enlarged  upon  her  own  an.xieties 
and  terrors,  and  explained  why  she  had 
not  mentioned  this  before.  She  told 
her  of  Madame  Guimarin's  decision, 
and  portrayed  in  glowing  colors  the 
utter  misery  and  hopelessness  of  their 
situ.ation.  She  then  related  the  scene 
that  had  just  occurred,  where  the  vio- 
lence of  Du  Poliron  had  been  arrested 
by  the  appearance  of  Grimes.  After 
these  preliminaries  she  described  the 
full  danger  of  their  life  in  Paris  as  it 
was  now  revealed  to  her  own  mind, 
and  the  possible  fulfilment  of  the 
threats  of  Du  Potiron.  All  these 
things  served  as  an  excellent  introduc- 
tion to  the  plan  of  Grimes,  and  the 
novel  way  of  escape  which  he  had 
proposed ;  when  she  reached  this  sub- 
ject she  endeavored  to  disarm  the  pos- 
sible prejudices  of  Maud  by  resort- 
ing to  the  rose-colored  descriptions 
which  Grimes  had  given  of  aerial  nav- 
igation. Plagiarizing  from  him,  and 
quoting  him,  she  presented  the  subject 
of  balloon  travelling  in  the  most  at- 
tractive manner  possible,  and  thus  by 
easy  gradation  she  reached  the  partic- 
ular part  of  her  subject  about  which 
she  felt  the  most  anxiety.  This  was 
their  separation,  and  the  association 
of  Carrol  with  Maud. 

Mrs.  Lovell  did  not  feel  sure  how 
Maud  would  take  this,  for  she  did  not 
know  exactly  the  present  state  of  her 
mind  with  regard  to  Carrol.  She  at 
fiist  alluded  to  him  in  general  terms, 
and  at  length  ventured  to  mention  his 
name.  Having  done  so,  she  quoted 
Grimes  as  to  Carrol's  eagerness  to 
assist,  and  readiness  to  answer  for  her 
safety  with  his  life;  and  concluded 
with  an  earnest  admonition  to  Maud 


not  to  allow  herself  to  be  swayed  by 
prejudices  of  any  kind,  but  to  snatch 
this  opportunity  of  escape  from  dan- 
ger. 

To  all  this  Maud  listened  without 
one  single  word.  The  whole  thing 
came  to  her  like  a  thunder-clap,  but 
she  was  in  such  a  depressed  state  of 
mind  that  her  dull  feelings  were  not 
much  aroused.  She  was,  in  fact,  in  a 
mood  to  acquiesce  with  perfect  indif- 
ference in  any  proposal  which  might 
be  made,  and  consequently  listened 
without  emotion.  But  at  length,  when 
Carrol's  name  w;  "J  mentioned,  she  ex- 
perienced an  instantaneous  change. 
At  once  all  her  indifference  vanished. 
A  flush  passed  over  her  pale  face,  her 
didl  eyes  brightened,  she  listened  with 
intense  absorption  to  everything  that 
Mrs.  Lovell  had  to  say,  and  the  eager- 
ness which  she  evinced  showed  that 
she  was  not  at  all  inclined  to  offer  any 
objections. 

In  fact,  to  all  those  things  which  had 
terrified  Mrs.  Lovell,  Maud  was  utterly 
indifferent.  The  threats  of  Du  Potiron, 
the  dangers  of  Paris  life,  the  perils  of 
balloon  voyaging,  all  these  were  things 
of  small  moment  to  her.  But  the  men- 
tion of  Carrol  was  another  matter. 
The  fact  that  he  had  shown  an  interest 
in  her,  that  he  was  capable  of  some- 
thing like  devotion  to  her,  that  he  had 
volunteered  an  act  of  devotion,  —  all 
these  things  roused  her.  She  did  not 
stop  to  try  to  reconcile  this  professed 
devotion  with  the  apparent  indifference 
which  he  had  manifested  in  their  last 
interview  ;  she  was  not  sufficiently  ex- 
igeant  to  raise  objections  on  the  ground 
of  his  not  calling  ;  the  fact  of  his  offer 
was  enough  ;  and  the  idea  of  his  asso- 
ciation with  her  in  an  attempt  to  res- 
cue her,  made  even  a  balloon  seem  at- 
tractive. To  be  taken  by  Carrol  on 
that  adventurous  flight  seemed  to  her 
the  most  sweet  and  blessed  of  conceiv- 
able things  ;  and  while  Mrs.  Lovell  was 
wondering  how  Maud  would  receive 
such  a  startling  proposal,  that  proposal 
was  already  accepted  in  the  mind  of 
Maud,  and  regarded  with  joy,  as  some- 
thing which  might  alleviate  her  sorrows, 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


99 


I 


things 


by  putting  her  once  more  in  communi- 
cation with  Carrol. 

And  so  it  was  that  Maud's  answer 
came  dear  and  unmistakable  and  most 
satisfactory. 

"  O  Georgie,  what  an  awful  time  you 
must  liave  had  !  I  had  no  idea  of  it  at 
all.  What  made  you  so  close  ?  Of 
course  I  '11  do  anything  that  you  want 
nic  to ;  and  as  to  balloons,  do  you  know 
I  think  it  would  be  rather  nice  ?  I  do, 
really." 

XXI. 

LAYING  THE   GHOST. 

Carrol's  knowledge  of  ATaud's  ad- 
dress constituted  a  new  temptation, 
which  it  was  hard  to  resist.  It  was 
very  difficult  for  him  to  keep  away, 
when  he  knew  that  she  was  so  near. 
In  liis  resistance  to  the  attraction  which 
she  exerted  over  him,  he  had  nothing 
to  strcngtiien  him  but  his  considera- 
tion for  her,  and  his  conviction  that  it 
would  be  better  for  her  not  to  see  him 
again.  But  this  very  consideration  for 
her  arose  out  of  his  love  for  her,  which 
at  the  same  time  drew  him  to  iier. 

For  a  day  or  two  he  succeeded  in 
restraining  himself,  but  at  length  his 
desire  to  sec  .A^aud  grew  uncontrollable, 
and,  after  fee'  z  efTorts  to  overcome  it, 
he  allowed  himself  to  drift  nearer  and 
nearer  to  the  place  of  which  Grimes 
had  told  him,  until  at  length  he  came 
within  sight  of  the  house.  It  was  the 
day  on  which  Grimes  had  made  liis 
visit ;  and  had  he  arrived  a  few  mo- 
ments earlier,  he  would  have  seen  the 
manly  form  of  his  friend  disappearing 
inside  the  doorway. 

As  he  came  within  sight  of  the  house 
his  heart  beat  fast  with  feverish  excite- 
ment, and  an  intense  longing  seized 
him  to  go  in.  He  hesitated,  and  a 
struggle  began  in  his  soul,  wherein 
desire  on  the  one  hand  wrestled  with 
conscientious  scruples  on  the  other. 
Already  his  scruples  were  beginning  to 
give  way,  and  his  desire  was  gaining 
the  mastery,  when  his  eyes,  which  all 
the  time  had  been  fixed  upon  the  door, 


cauglit  sight  of  a  figure  slowly  emerg- 
ing from  it. 

It  was  a  man  of  medium  size,  thin, 
dressed  in  a  soldier's  uniform  ;  but  the 
dress  did  not  excite  any  attention  on 
the  part  of  Carrol,  whose  whole  gaze 
was  fixed  upon  the  face.  The  fice  was 
deathly  pale  ;  the  man  held  a  handker- 
chief to  his  forehead,  which  was  stained 
with  his  blood,  and  a  stream  of  blood 
also  trickled  down  his  face.  He  walked 
slowly  and  painfully,  and  going  along 
the  siiiewalk  he  turned  around  the  first 
corner  and  disappeared  from  view. 

Carrol'  h.ad  been  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  street,  but  the  figure  had  not 
turned  its  eyes  toward  him  at  all.  It 
had  simply  come  forth  from  that  door, 
walked  along  the  opposite  sidewalk, 
and  disappeared. 

As  Carrol  looked  he  felt  petrified 
with  utter  horror.  That  face  belonged 
to  one  and  to  one  alone.  It  was  the 
face  that  had  never  ceased  to  haunt  him 
ever  since  that  fearful  night.  Kven  so 
had  that  face  appeared  to  his  fancy 
over  and  over  again  .as  he  brouglit  be- 
fore his  mind  the  events  of  that  night ; 
and  even  so  had  the  face  appeared 
night  after  night  in  abhorrent  dreams, 
gliastly,  death-struck,  with  a  blood- 
stream slowly  trickling  down  from  a 
mortal  wound.  There  was  only  one 
thought  in  Carrol's  mind,  —  his  victim  ! 
Du  I'otiron  !  once  more  appearing ! 
the  dead  once  more  revealed  to  the 
living ! 

For  a  few  moments  Carrol  stood 
thus  petrified  in  utter  horror,  and 
then  in  a  wild  frenzy  he  hurried 
away,  flying  ho  knew  not  where,  all 
his  brain  on  fire  with  the  thoughts  that 
came  thronging  ovr-  his  mind.  All  the 
anguish  of  tl:at  night  at  Montreal  was 
renewed  ;  and  his  panic  flight  was  re- 
peated, with  all  its  dread  accompani- 
ments. I?ut  this  time  the  daylight 
favored  him,  and  the  tumult  and  roar 
of  the  crowded  streets  assisted  him  to 
regain  something  of  his  natural  com- 
posure. IJut  as  the  immediate  terror 
died  out,  there  remained  behind  a  deep 
perplexity,  a  dark  misgiving  as  to  the 
nature  and  the  meaning  of  this  second 


lOO 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


visitation.  To  him  in  his  superstition 
it  seemed  now  as  though  tlie  dead  could 
really  appear  to  the  living  ;  and  here 
was  a  proot  *hat  the  murderer  must  be 
haunted  by  his  victim.  This  opened 
before  him  a  new  horror  in  life.  For  if 
he  should  be  doomed  through  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days  to  be  thus  haunted, 
what  was  the  use  of  life  to  him  .'  Tliis 
time  the  apparition  had  con^  not  in 
darkness  and  at  midnight,  L  in  the 
full  glare  of  day  and  in  the  midst  of  a 
crowded  city,  walking  under  the  day- 
light along  the  pavctl  sidewalk.  Where 
would  the  next  revelation  take  place  ? 
No  doubt  that  warning  would  be  re- 
peated, if  he  should  dare  ever  again 
to  visit  Maud,  or  to  speak  to  her.  Be- 
tween him  and  her  there  now  stood 
this  grisly  phantom  to  keep  them  for- 
ever asunder.  How  could  he  now  hope 
to  assist  .-laud  to  escape,  or  how  could 
he  ever  venture  even  to  speak  to  her 
again  ? 

Starting  fjrth  thus  from  a  full  belief 
in  tlie  supernatural  character  of  the 
figure  of  Du  Potiron,  and  .-^.llowing  a 
vivid  fancy  to  play  around,  it  in  this 
mad  fashion,  Carrol  soon  worked  him- 
self into  a  state  of  mind  that  was  half 
despair  and  half  frenzy.  The  future 
now  aflbrded  no  hope  wliatevcr.  It 
Beemed  useless  for  him  to  struggle 
any  longer  against  such  a  fate  as  Iiis  ; 
and  he  began  to  feel  that  the  very 
best  thing  for  him  to  do  would  be  to 
avail  himself  of  the  earliest  opportunity 
that  ofTercd  to  escape  from  Paris,  re- 
turn home,  and  surrender  himself  to 
the  authorities.  A  prolonged  consid- 
eration of  this  course  of  action  resulted 
in  a  fi.xed  decision  in  favor  of  it ;  and 
this  decision  had  the  effect  of  restoring 
to  his  mind  its  calmness.  That  calm- 
ness was  deep  depression  and  dull  de- 
spair, but  it  seemed  .nore  tolerable 
than  the  madness  to  which  he  had  just 
been  subject.  It  was  in  this  frame  of 
mind  that  he  returned  to  liis  lodgings. 
It  was  now  late.  Grimes  was  there,  and 
by  his  face  showed  that  he  had  some- 
thing of  import.ance  to  communicate. 

"Hallo,"  cried  he,  "you're  back  at 
last.    Three   cheers !    I  'vc  arranged 


it.  I  've  done  it.  They  've  consented. 
I  've  got  the  balloons.  \Vc  Ve  off  to- 
morrow ;  and  what  do  you  think  of  that, 
for  instance .' " 

Grimes  paused  and  looked  triumiih- 
antly  at  Carrol,  expecting  some  reply 
commensurate  with  the  grandeur  of  the 
news,  liut  Carrol  made  no  reply  ;  and 
Grimes,  looking  at  him  more  closely, 
saw  in  his  face  such  pain  and  distress, 
that  his  own  feelings  underwent  an  in- 
stantaneous change. 

"  Has  anything  happened  ?  "  he  asked 
hurriedly.  "  What 's  the  matter  .'  Vou 
look  more  like  death  than  life." 

"  I  've  been  near  death  to-d.ay,"  said 
Carrol  in  a  low  voice.  "  I  've  seen 
It." 

"  Seen  it  ?     Seen  what  ?     Death  ? " 

"  ///w,  you  know  —  the  man  that  — 
that  —  you  know.     Du  Potiron." 

Grimes  gave  a  long  whistle. 

"  The  dead  arise  !  "  moaned  Carrol, 
"and  they  come  to  haunt  the  guilty  !  " 

"  Haunt  your  grandmother,"  cried 
Grimes.     "  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

Upon  this  Carrol  tolil  his  terrible 
tale,  enlarging  particularly  upon  the 
fearful  aspect  of  the  spectre.  Cirimes 
listened  patiently,  and  at  its  close  he 
struck  his  fist  heavily  on  the  table. 

"  Sec  here,"  said  he,  "  I  can't  stand 
this  any  longer.  I  begin  to  think  1  've 
been  doin'  wrong  all  along,  but  I  swear 
I  did  it  for  the  best.  Look  here,  now. 
It 's  all  infernal  humbug." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? '  asked  Carrol, 
startled  by  the  tone  of  his  friend. 

"Why,  Du  Potiron  ain't  dead  at  all. 
You  did  n't  kill  him.  He  's  alive.  You 
saw  the  man  himself" 

Carrol  shook  his  head  despondently. 
"  I  heard  him  fall  -  " 

"  You  heard  some  rubbish  fall,  I  dare 
say.  You  were  scared,  and  a  lot  of  old 
plaster  tumbled  down.  L  wasn't  Du 
Potiron,  and  you  never  shot  that  man  ; 
that 's  so,  as  sure  as  you  're  born.  You 
only  heard  plaster  and  rats." 

"  You  can  never  make  me  believe —  " 
began  Carrol,  solemnly. 

"  Pooh,  nonsense.  Look  here,  now, 
I  tell  you  that  dool  was  all  a  sham." 

"  A  sham  ?  " 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


101 


"  Yes,  a  sham.  There  was  n't  any 
bullets  in  the  pistols.  I  loaded  them 
myself.     You  know  that." 

"  A  sham  .''  a  sham  .'  no  bullets  ?  " 
stammered  Carrol,  utterly  bewildered. 

"  I  tell  you  it  was  all  a  sham.  Du 
Potiron  was  aboard  the  steamer  with 
us  ;  and  he  's  now  in  Paris ;  and  you 
saw  him  to-day." 

Carrol  sat  for  a  time  quite  bewildered. 
There  was  an  immense  reaction  going 
on  in  his  mind.  He  could  not  help  be- 
lieving Grimes  ;  and  yet  he  had  so  long 
dwelt  upon  his  own  fancy,  that  it  was 
diflicult  to  give  up  his  belief.  In  the 
midst  of  these  thoughts,  however,  there 
began  to  arise  in  his  mind  the  idea  that 
he  had  been  tricked  and  duped,  and 
that  Cirimes  had  been  amusing  himself 
with  his  sufferings.  A  dark  resent- 
ment arose  within  him  at  such  treat- 
ment, and  rising  from  his  seat  he 
looked  at  Grimes  with  a  gloomy 
frown. 

"  If  you  really  mean  what  you  say, 
and  if  you  've  been  playing  on  me  a 
joke  like  this  —  "  he  said,  bitterly. 

"  Stop,"  said  Grimes,  rising,  and  fa- 
cing him.  "  Not  a  word  more.  Don't 
say  it,  or  you  and  I  '11  quarrel.  Wait 
till  you  hear  what  I  've  got  to  say  about 
it.     Sit  down  and  hear  me." 

Carrol  resumed  his  seat  and  waited 
in  stern  silence,  while  Grimes  went  on 
with  his  explanation. 

"  Now  see  here,"  .said  Grimes.  "  You 
remember  askin'  me  to  be  your  second. 
I  saw  that  you  could  n't  fire,  and  that 
you  'd  only  get  hit ;  so  I  arranged  that 
plan  of  a  duel  in  the  dark.  Very  well. 
Now  do  you  suppose  I  was  goin'  to 
have  your  blood  or  that  other  fellow's 
on  my  conscience  .'  No.  I  loaded  the 
pistols,  but  did  n't  put  any  bullets  in. 
I  thouglit  you  'd  botli  fire,  and  then 
you  'd  think  of  course  that  both  shots 
had  missed  ;  and  so  it  would  all  turn 
out  right,  and  no  harm  done.  Was 
there  any  practical  joke  in  tliat  ?  So 
you  see  Du  totiron  could  n't  have 
fallen  at  your  shot ;  and,  in  fact,  my 
idea  is  that  lie  jumped  out  of  the  back 
window  wliile  we  were  fastening  the 
door;  for  I  thought  I  heard  footsteps 


over  the  rubbish  behind  the  house. 
You  may  be  sure  that  was  the  way  of 
it.  Now,  I  don't  see  anythin'  in  that 
to  apologize  for ;  and  I  did  n't  do  any- 
thin'  that  I  would  n't  do  again.  I 
thought  you  'd  have  your  shots,  and 
that  you  'd  get  over  your  love-alVair  in 
time,  and  that  all  would  turn  out  right 
in  the  end.  So  I  cleared  out  and  did 
n't  think  any  more  about  it  till  you  and 
I  met  on  board  the  steamer. 

"  Wal,  I  confess  I  was  a  good  deal 
troubled  when  I  saw  how  you  took 
tilings,  and  was  goin'  to  tell  you  tiie 
whole  truth,  especially  after  you  saw 
Du  Potiron,  but  was  prevented  by  one 
thing." 

"  What  was  that  ?  "  asked  Carrol. 
"  What  possible  thing  could  have  made 
you  keep  up  the  miserable  delusion, 
and  allow  me  to  suffer  such  horrors  ? 
I  swear  to  you  no  real  murderer  could 
have  sutTered  worse  than  I  did." 

"  Wal,"  said  Grimes, "  the  whole  trou- 
ble arose  from  the  fact  that  tlie  ladies 
were  on  board  of  the  steamer.  Now  I 
saw  that  the  sight  of  Miss  Heathcote 
made  you  raving  mad.  You  didn't 
hate  her,  you  know ;  you  were  madly 
in  love  with  her ;  and  her  bein'  on 
board  prevented  your  gettin'  over  your 
feelin's.  She  h.ad  jilted  you,  and  there 
she  was  on  board  the  same  boat,  and 
you  were  goin'  crazy  about  her.  New 
it  struck  me  that  the  only  thing  for  a 
jilted  lover  like  you  was  to  have  some 
other  thing  to  take  up  his  thoughts. 
You  had  that  in  your  fancy  about  Du 
Potiron,  and  so  I  thought  I  'd  let  it 
slide.  I  did  n't  dream  of  anything  so 
childish  as  a  practical  joke,  but  simply 
acted  out  of  a  fatherly  consideration 
for  your  good.  My  motive  was  good, 
whatever  my  policy  may  have  been. 
It  was  to  give  you  a  counter-irrita- 
tion." 

"  I  think  you  might  rt  least  have 
lokl  me  after  we  arrive  .1  in  Paris," 
said  Carrol,  in  a  tone  wliich  was  now 
quite  free  from  resentment. 

"Wal,"  said  (Irlmes,  "my  reason 
was  just  the  same.  The  h'diec  were 
here,  and  there  you  were  with  your 
abuse  of  Miss  Heathcote,  so  that  if  you 


it 


I03 


A  Comedjf  of  Tcirors. 


I  rt.t. 
I  t*  « 


iii| 

1  vm 

; 

t  «M 

1   MD 

"li 

f 

iiiiS 

1 

i 

\  1 


had  n't  had  this  dool  to  think  of,  you  'd 
been  used  up  by  this  time.  But  you 
chanjjed  your  tone  a  little  lately,  and 
I  'd  made  up  my  mind  to  tell  you  the 
fust  chance." 

"  What  was  he  doing  there  ?  "  asked 
Carrol, "  at  her  house.  So  if  it  is  really 
Du  Totiron,  it  seems  that,  while  I  have 
been  sutTering,  she  has  been  enjoying 
his  society,  travelling  across  tlie  ocean 
with  him,  receiving  his  visits  here, 
while  I  —  " 

"Come  now,"  roared  Grimes,  "no 
more  of  that  infernal  jeah  us  nonsense. 
Here  you  go  again,  ful!  lilt,  pitchin' 
into  Miss  Heathcotc  in  the  old  style. 
I  don't  know  anythin'  about  her  real 
feelin's  for  the  Frenchman,  but  I  don't 
think  they're  over  tender;  for  what  I 
saw  of  him  to-day  did  n't  lead  me  to 
suppose  that  he  was  on  very  agreeable 
terms  in  that  house." 

"  J'i3«  saw  him  there?  Yoii  did?" 
cried  Carrol  eagerly  ;  "  was  he  —  was 
he  visiting  them?  Did  she  —  did  she 
—  seem  glad?  But  how  did  his  head 
get  cut— ?" 

"  Wal,  I  believe  I  had  some  share  in 
that  catastrophe,"  said  Grimes.  "  I  '11 
tell  you  all  about  it." 

Carrol  heard  the  whole  story,  and 
now  learned  for  the  first  time  the  dan- 
ger that  the  ladies  were  in,  and  the  true 
position  of  Du  Potiron  with  reference 
to  them.  Grimes  intbrmed  him  about 
Mrs.  Lovell's  appeal  to  him  for  help, 
his  proposal  about  balloons,  and  the 
circumstances  which  had  led  to  the 
acquiescence  of  the  ladies  in  such  a 
dangerous  mode  of  flight.  He  also 
gave  a  very  vivid  account  of  Du  Poti- 
ron's  treatment  of  Mrs.  Lovell,  and  the 
immediate  result  of  it  to  Du  Potiron 
himself. 

Grimes  informed  him  also  of  the 
measures  which  he  had  been  taking  that 
day  to  hasten  their  flight.  He  had  been 
to  M.  Nadar  and  had  engaged  two  bal- 
loons. He  himself  with  iMrs.  Lovell 
would  embark  in  one,  while  Carrol  and 
Miss  Heathcote  should  take  the  other 
with  an  aeronaut  to  sail  the  craft.  Very 
many  little  details  had  to  be  arranged, 
but  everything  was  to  be  in  readiness 


on  the  following  night.  Night  was  the 
time  that  was  always  chosen  now,  for 
during  the  day  balloons  were  too  much 
exposed  to  the  bullets  of  the  Prussians. 
The  weather  was  sufficiently  favorable 
for  a  start,  and  if  it  only  continued  so 
nothing  would  prevent  their  departure. 
The  ladies  were  to  be  ready  by  the 
following  evening,  and  Grimes  and 
Carrol  were  to  go  to  the  house  for 
them.  They  were  perfectly  willing  to 
go,  for  they  found  the  terrors  of  Paris 
greater  than  those  of  tiie  untried  voy- 
age in  the  air  ;  and  the  confident  as- 
surances of  Grimes  had  produced  a 
great  effect  upon  the  trustful  nature  of 
iMrs.  Lovell. 

And  now  the  clouds  that  had  for  so 
long  a  time  hung  over  the  soul  of  Car- 
rol slowly  rolled  away,  and  the  revela- 
tion of  Maud's  truth,  together  with  that 
of  his  own  innocence,  combined  to  fill 
him  with  the  most  exultant  hope.  The 
little  difference  that  still  remained  be- 
tween him  and  Maud  could  be  termi- 
nated by  one  word.  Her  resentment 
could  not  be  maintained,  for  she  had 
consented  to  go  with  him  in  his  care. 
To  the  perils  of  balloon-voyaging  he 
never  gave  a  siiigle  thought,  his  mind 
being  only  taken  up  with  the  idea  of 
himself  seated  once  more  by  the  side 
of  Maud,  with  not  a  cloud  to  mar  their 
perfect  mutual  understand''->g. 

But  in  the  midst  of  his  new-found 
joy  there  arose  within  him  an  Intense 
longing  to  see  Maud,  from  whom  he 
was  no  longer  repelled  either  by  con- 
scientious scruples  or  by  grisly  phan- 
toms. He  now  remembered  his  terrors 
with  indiflference,  and  in  his  deliglit  at 
the  truth  he  had  no  resentment  what- 
ever against  Grimes  •..  anybody  else 
for  that  matter.  Once  more  he  and 
Grimes  resumed  the  old  unclouded  air 
o''  free  and  familiar  intercourse,  and 
talked  over  the  coming  events.  Carrol, 
however,  could  not  help  feeling  impa- 
tient at  the  time  that  yet  separated  him 
from  Maud,  and  hinted  in  a  vague 
way  at  some  efibrt  which  he  might 
make  to  call  on  the  ladies  earlier  in 
the  day. 

"  Now  don't,  my  good  fellow,"  said 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


103 


Grimes  earnestly,  "don't.  The  ladies 
won't  expect  you ;  besides,  they  '11  be  as 
busy  as  bees  all  day  arranging  for  their 
flight.  You  see  it's  such  uncommon 
short  notice.  Waitin'  two  or  three 
hours  longer  won't  hurt  you,  and  will 
be  a  good  deal  more  convenient  for 
them  than  if  you  were  to  go  botherin' 
around  them  all  the  day." 

"  But  don't  you  think  they  may  be 
in  some  danger  from  Du  Potiron  ?  I 
should  think  it  would  be  better  for  one 
of  us  to  be  there." 

"  O,  I  don't  know  !  I  don't  seem  to 
think  that  one  day  '11  make  any  great 
difference." 

"  But  if  the  fellow  can  do  anything, 
he  '11  do  it  at  once.  He  must  have 
been  venomous  enough  before ;  but  now, 
after  your  treatment  of  him,  he  '11  move 
heaven  and  earth  to  get  them  into 
trouble  ;  and,  what 's  more,  he  '11  do  it 
as  quick  as  he  can.  It  seems  to  me 
that  if  there  is  any  danger  at  all,  there 
'11  be  as  much  danger  to-morrow  as 
there  would  be  a  week  from  this." 

"  Wal,  I  don't  know,  now  that  you 
speak  of  it,  but  what  there  may  be  a 
good  deal  in  what  you  say  ;  still  1  don't 
see  what  can  be  done.  People  have 
got  to  run  some  risk,  and  to-morrow  is 
the  risk  that  the  ladies  have  got  to  run. 
They  can't  be  actually  safe  till  they 
get  outside  of  Paris,  or  above  it,  which 
is  all  the  same." 

"On  the  whole,"  said  Carrol,  "I 
think  I  'd  better  keep  a  lookout  in  that 
direction." 

"What  for?" 

"  O,  to  satisfy  my  own  mind  ! " 

"  There  won't  be  much  satisfaction 
in  looking ;  and  if  anythin'  was  to 
happen,  you  would  n't  be  able  to  do 
anythin'.  On  the  whole,  I  should  n't 
wonder  but  that  you  'd  be  doin'  better 
by  makin'  yourself  scarce  till  the  ap- 
pointed hour." 

"  Well,  I  '11  see,"  said  Carrol,  who, 
at  the  same  time,  was  profoundly  con- 
vinced that  he  would  spend  the  whole 
of  the  next  day  in  the  vicinity  of  Maud's 
house,  and  burst  in  upon  her  presence 
long  before  what  Grimes  called  the  ap- 
pointed time. 


XXII. 


IN  THE  TOILS. 

The  following  day  dawned  bright 
and  pleasant.  The  sky  was  perfectly 
cloudless,  and  the  clear  atmospliere 
gave  promise  of  a  favorable  night. 

Grimes  had  arranged  everything 
on  the  previous  day,  and  M.  Nadar 
had  solemnly  engaged  to  be  at  the 
Place  St.  Pierre  with  two  balloons  and 
an  aeronaut.  There  was  therefore 
nothing  in  reality  for  him  to  do  ;  but 
Grimes  was  a  man  who  never  felt  in- 
clined to  trust  his  business  to  others, 
and  could  not  feel  satisfied  unless  he 
himself  were  present.  It  was  this  feel- 
ing rather  than  any  actual  necessity 
that  led  him  forth  to  pass  the  time  with 
M.  Nadar,  so  that  he  might  see  with 
his  own  eyes  that  everything  was  pre- 
paring. He  was  also  actuated  by  a 
very  natural  desire  to  learn  something 
more,  if  anything  more  could  be  learned, 
of  the  aeronautic  art.  Before  starting 
he  informed  Carrol  that  he  would  call 
for  the  ladies  at  about  dusk ;  but  that  if 
the  ladies  were  frightened  about  any- 
thing and  wished  to  leave  before  then, 
they  might  go  to  the  Place  St.  Pierre. 

Grimes  then  set  out  on  his  way  to 
visit  M.  Nadar.  He  strolled  along  in 
a  leisurely  manner,  meditating  on  the 
prospect  before  him,  and  quite  oblivious 
to  the  scene  around  him.  He  traversed 
street  after  street,  and  soon  left  the 
busier  parts  of  the  city  behind  him, 
and  still  went  on,  feeding  his  active 
fancy  with  very  many  pleasing  scenes, 
and  images  and  events,  all  of  which 
were  of  a  highly  cheerful  and  pleasant 
cliaracter.  Had  he  not  been  so  very 
much  (^ken  up  with  these  pleasing 
fancies,  he  would  not  ha%'e  failed  to  no- 
tice the  fact  that  he  was  followed  by  sev- 
eral men  dressed  as  National  Guards, 
but  v.'hose  evil  faces  made  them  seem 
like  niouchards  of  tlie  fallen  Empire, 
who,  finding  their  occupation  gone,  had 
transformed  themselves  into  the  de- 
fenders of  the  Republic  with  no  very 
striking  success.  These  men  followed 
him,  at  first  c.iutiously,  but  at  length, 
perceiving  that  he  did  not  take  the 


\l 


if 


ir^ 


104 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


l\ 


Ji   |I»I»U 


i 


slightest  notice  of  them,  they  went  on 
carelessly,  keeping  close  behind  him, 
and  occasionally  addressing  remarks  to 
one  another.  At  length  two  of  them 
walked  ahead  of  the  others,  towards 
Grimes.  He,  on  his  part,  was  quite  un- 
conscious of  this  new  movement,  and 
stalked  on  before,  losing  himself  in 
the  pleasing  fancies  with  which  his 
mind  was  filled.  The  two  men  harried 
on  till  they  caught  up  to  him,  when 
they  divided,  one  going  on  each  side, 
and  at  a  signal  each  placed  a  hand  on 
Grimes's  shoulder. 

In  a  moment  Grimes  was  brought 
back  to  real  life.  He  stopped  and  con- 
fronted the  men.  The  others  mean- 
while walked  up  and  surrounded  him. 
There  were  over  a  dozen  of  them,  and 
all  were  armed. 

"  What  do  you  want .' "  asked  Grimes 
in  his  usual  Yankee  French. 

"  Who  are  you  ? "  asked  one  of  the 
men,  who  had  first  seized  him. 

"  An  American  citizen,"  said  Grimes. 

"Where  are  you  going  ?" 

"  On  business,"  said  Grimes. 

"What  business  ? " 

Grimes  was  about  to  give  an  angry 
reply,  but  the  affair  looked  too  serious, 
so  he  was  compelled  to  mitigate  his 
wrath.  He  hesitated  for  a  moment, 
but  at  length  concluded  that  the  truth 
was  the  easiest  statement  to  make  and 
so  he  said,  "  I  am  going  to  see  M., 
Nadar." 

"  M.  Nadar  ? " 

"  Yes,  about  a  balloon." 

"A  balloon?  —  aha,"  said  the  other. 
"  A  balloon  ?  You  would  fly,  would 
you  ?  You  would  run  away .-'  Aha, 
you  cannot  escape  so  easily." 

"There  is  nothing  wrong  in  engag- 
ing a  balloon,"  said  Grimes.  "  M.  Gam- 
betta  and  others  have  gone  in  them." 

"  M.  Gambetta  is  an  honest  and  loyal 
citizen  ;  but  you,  monsieur,  are  a  traitor 
and  a  spy." 

"  A  traitor,  a  spy  ?  I  am  not,"  cried 
Grimes.  "  I  am  a  friend  of  the  French 
Republic." 

"  You  are  a  Prussian  spy,"  cried  the 
other  in  excited  and  vehement  tones. 

"  1  am  not,"  roared  Grimes.    "  I  am 


an  American.  The  American  Minister 
is  my  friend.  I  am  an  American  and 
a  Republican." 

"  Bah  !  we  know  you.  We  have 
watched  you.  You  have  been  de- 
nounced to  us.  We  know  you  as  one 
of  Bismarck's  agents,  and  we  arrest 
you  in  the  name  of  the  Republic." 

"  Arrest !  "  cried  Grimes,  in  fierce 
indignation,  —  "  arrest  me,,  an  Ameri- 
can citizen  ! " 

"  Monsieur,  you  are  no  more  an 
American  citi.^cn  than  I  am.  You  are 
a  German.  Your  accent  betrays  you. 
Come,  you  are  our  prisoner.  You  must 
come  with  us.  Remonstrance  is  use- 
less." 

At  this.  Grimes  stood  suffocated  with 
rage.  He  glared  like  a  wild  beast  at 
his  enemies.  He  thrust  his  hand  into 
his  pocket,  and  grasped  his  trusty  re- 
volver, and  for  a  moment  he  meditated 
a  wild  rush  upon  his  captors  and  a 
headlong  flight.  He  looked  up  and 
down  the  street ;  but  that  one  look  was 
enough  to  satisfy  him  that  anything 
like  flight  was  utterly  impossible.  He 
let  go  his  grasp  of  his  revolver. 

The  sight  of  the  National  Guards 
around  a  foreigner  had  already  at- 
tracted the  notice  of  the  passers-by. 
People  stopped  and  stared.  The  words 
"  Prussian  spy  "  were  heard,  and  circu- 
lated from  mouth  to  mouth.  The  crowd 
increased,  and  at  length,  in  a  marvel- 
lously short  space  of  time,  an  immense 
number  of  people  had  gathered  there. 
The  rumor  of  a  Prussian  spy  passed 
along  the  street,  and  people  came  run- 
ning from  every  direction  to  see  the 
sight. 

As  Grimes  looked  around,  he  saw 
the  crowd,  and  the  faces  that  were 
turned  toward  him  were  faces  full  of 
dark  menace  and  intense  hate.  Pas- 
sionate words  passed  from  man  to  man, 
and  reached  his  ears.  He  began  to 
think  that  he  was  lost.  Once  more  he 
subdued  his  wrath,  and  endeavored  to 
appeal  to  the  crowd. 

"  Gentlemen  I  "  said  he,  elevating 
his  voice,  "  I  am  an  American  citizen. 
I  am  a  friend  of  the  French  Republic. 
I  am  a  Republican  myself.    The  Amer- 


m 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


105 


Yells,  shrieks, 
midst  of  which 
for    immediate 


ican    Minister  is  my  friend.     He  will 
certify  that  I  speak  the  truth." 

The  crowd  stared,  and  various  mur- 
mur.", arose.  But  the  man  who  liad 
seized  Grimes  turned  with  a  shrug  and 
called  out,  "  Citizens,  this  man  is  a 
Prussian  spy.  He  is  very  dangerous. 
We  have  been  searching  for  him  for 
weeks.  He  is  the  worst  spy  in  the  place, 
and  the  chief  agent  of  Bismarck." 

At  these  words  there  arose  from  the 
crowd  a  terrific  outcry, 
and  execrations,  in  the 
were  a  hundred  cries 
vengeance. 

Grimes  stood  overwhelmed.  He  was 
a  brave  man,  but  the  position  in  which 
he  was  made  bravery  useless.  To  defy, 
or  to  resist,  or  to  offend  that  maddened 
mob  was  to  be  torn  in  pieces.  He 
looked  out  once  more  upon  them,  and 
saw  the  faces  inflamed  with  frantic 
rage  and  eyes  glowing  in  fury.  They 
were  more  like  wild  beasts  than  human 
beings.  To  disarm  their  wrath  was 
impossible  ;  to  explain  matters,  to  prove 
the  truth,  was  not  allowed.  The  mob 
outside  was  so  insane  and  so  passion- 
ate, that  the  National  Guards  who  had 
arrested  him  seemed  almost  his  friends 
now,  since  they  stood  between  him  and 
the  savages  of  the  street. 

The  conclusion  which  Grimes  came 
to  was  swift  and  decided.  He  saw 
that  it  would  never  do  to  stand  there 
exposed  to  the  wrath  of  the  mob  :  any- 
thing was  better  than  thit.  With  the 
National  Guards  there  was  at  least  a 
hope  of  something  like  an  examination 
or  a  trial ;  but  with  a  street  mob  there 
was  nothing  but  a  tiger's  blind  fury. 
His  mind  was  made  up.  At  all  hazards, 
this  scene  must  be  stopped. 

"  Gentlemen  !  "  said  he,  courteously, 
to  the  National  Guards,  speaking  so 
that  all  could  hear  him,  "  there  is 
some  mistake.  I  am  convinced  thai 
you  intend  nothing  but  what  is  fair  anc'. 
right.  I  trust  myself  to  your  hands. 
Take  me  to  the  authorities,  and  I  will 
submit  to  any  examination." 

This  was  very  magnanimous  lan- 
guage from  a  man  who  was  helpless ; 
but  the  National  Guards  did  not  see 


the  incongruity  that  there  was  between 
his  language  and  his  situation.  They 
all  drew  themselves  up  in  a  dignified 
way  and  endeavored  to  assume  the 
airs  of  so  many  Rhadamanthuses. 
Those  of  the  crowd  who  heard  him 
were  somewhat  favorably  affected,  and 
began  to  think  that  the.-e  might  be 
some  mistake  ;  but  the  most  of  them  did 
not  hear,  and  so  they  kept  on  howling. 

"  It 's  all  right,"  said  Grimes.  "  Let 
us  go.  Lead  on.  Don't  be  troubled 
about  me.  I  won't  run.  It's  all  right, 
gentlemen,"  said  he  to  the  crowd. 
"  It's  only  a  mistake.  I  'm  an  Ameri- 
can.    I'h'c  la  Republique  Fran^aise  !  " 

These  last  words  he  shouted  out  in 
tones  loud  enough  to  be  heard  by  all. 
The  mob  heard  it,  and  those  words  ar- 
rested the  current  of  the  general  fury. 
They  had  the  right  ring.  They  hesi- 
tated. 

"  It  is  a  mistake,"  roared  Grimes  in 
stentorian  tones,  so  that  he  could  be 
heard  by  all.  "  I  am  an  American.  I 
am  a  Republican.  Hurrah  for  the 
French  Republic!  Hurrah  for  liberty  ! 
Down  with  the  Prussians  !  Down  with 
Bismarck  !  I  am  an  American  Republi- 
can, and  I  love  the  French  Republic  !  " 

As  a  matter  of  fact  Grimes  began  to 
be  somewhat  disgusted  with  the  French 
Republic,  or  rather  w.di  French  Re- 
publicans, and  consequently  his  words 
were  not  strictly  true  ;  but  he  was  in 
a  very  tight  place,  and  he  felt  that  it 
was  his  first  duty  to  disarm  the  ven- 
geance of  that  howling  maniac  mob. 
By  giving  them  lavish  doses  of  the  pop- 
ular cries,  he  hoped  to  succeed  in  this. 
His  efforts  were  not  unavailing.  A 
large  number  of  the  crowd  caught  up 
his  words  and  responded.  The  mob, 
?.z  a  mob,  began  to  lose  its  homogene- 
ity ;  its  unity  disintegrated  at  the  im- 
pact of  those  cries  ;  some  kept  up  the 
call  for  vengeance ;  but  others  hur- 
rahed for  the  French  Republic,  and  oth- 
ers again  for  America. 

Grimes  now  moved  off,  surrounded 
by  his  captors  and  the  mob. 

The  National  Guards  led  him,  and 
the  crowd  followed  him,  through  many 
streets.    The  crowd  still  showed  that 


ri' 


io6 


A  Comedy  of  Tenors. 


lir. 

I  Iff 

I' »«  ■•' 
111. 

•••4 


I!  r 
l» 


•%* 


uncertainty  of  purpose  which  had  been 
created  by  the  remarks  of  the  jirison- 
er,  and  followed  in  a  vague  way,  be- 
inj;  now  rather  curious  than  inimical. 
In  this  way  he  at  length  reached  a  large 
building,  in  front  of  which  there  were 
a  few  men  in  the  uniform  of  the  Na- 
tional Guard.  Grimes  entered  this 
place  with  his  captors  and  was  con- 
ducted to  a  room  in  the  third  story. 
On  being  shown  in  here  the  door  was 
locked  and  the  prisoner  was  left  to  his 
meditations. 

Meanwhile  Carrol  had  left  the  house 
and  had  started  off  to  seek  out  some 
way  of  wiling  away  the  tedious  hours. 
He  had  wandered  aimlessly  through 
the  streets,  trying  to  get  rid  of  the 
hours  of  the  morning,  and  finding  him- 
self incessantly  gravitating  in  an  irre- 
sistible manner  toward  the  lodgings  of 
Maud.  He  resisted  tliis  tendency  as 
long  as  he  could,  for  he  did  not  wish 
to  intrude  upon  the  ladies  at  unseason- 
able hours  ;  but  at  length  he  found  it 
quite  impossible  to  resist  any  longer. 
It  was  about  midday  when  lie  found 
himself  in  the  street  in  front  of  the 
house.  He  then  made  up  his  mind  to 
remain  in  that  street  and  keep  up  a 
watch  over  the  house,  with  a  vague 
idea  that  by  so  'vatching  he  might  be 
the  means  of  guarding  the  inmates  from 
evil.  Fi  r  two  or  three  hours  he  walked 
up  and  down  the  street,  never  going  out 
of  sight  of  the  house ;  and  at  lengtii 
he  became  wearied  of  this  fruitless  oc- 
cupation, and  began  to  think  of  enter- 
ing. 

Mrs.  Lovell  and  Maud  were  both  in 
the  room.  Maud  started  to  her  feet 
and  stood  looking  at  him  with  a  pale 
and  agitated  face.  Mrs.  Lovell  ad- 
vanced and  greeted  him.  Carrol  was 
scarce  conscious  of  her  existence.  He 
made  some  incoherent  reply  to  her, 
and  then  turned  toward  Maud.  She 
stood  looking  at  him  with  that  same 
expression  of  entreaty  and  wonder  and 
mournfulness  which  he  had  so  often 
seen  in  her  face;  and  as  he  walked 
toward  her  she  made  one  or  two  steps 
forward.  But  Carrol's  face  showed 
something  very  different  from  anything 


she  had  seen  there  since  their  misun- 
derstanding ;  it  was  full  of  joy  and  en- 
thusiastic hope  .ind  tcnderest  affection. 
He  hurried  toward  her  and  grasped 
her  hand  in  both  of  his. 

"  O  my  darling ! "  Jie  faltered  in 
a  low  voice  ;  "  forgive  rne !  forgive 
me!" 

Mrs.  Lovell  started,  and  with  some 
commonplace  remark  she  left  tlie 
room,  and  by  that  act  won  for  herself 
the  fervent  gratitude  of  Carrol. 

He  was  now  alone  with  Maud.  He 
understood  at  last  the  whole  truth. 
There  was  at  last  no  cloud  of  misun- 
derstanding between  them.  Carrol  was 
determined  that  every  tiling  should  now 
be  cleared  up  without  delay,  and  so  he 
poured  forth  the  whole  story  of  his 
sorrows.  All  was  revealed  without  ex- 
ception, and  Maud  was  able  to  under- 
stand the  whole  reason  of  Carrol's 
conduct.  Even  if  his  explanation  had 
been  less  ample,  she  could  have  for- 
given him  ;  but  with  this  she  felt  that 
there  was  nothing  to  forgive. 

Mrs.  Lovell's  innate  delicacy  of  soul, 
together  with  her  sisterly  regard  for 
Maud  and  her  consideration  of  her 
peculiar  circumstances,  all  combined  to 
make  her  stand  aloof  and  leave  the 
two  lovers  to  come  to  a  full  understand- 
ing by  themselves.  At  length,  how- 
ever, the  time  seemed  to  be  sufficient, 
and  she  returned,  finding  Maud's  once 
melancholy  face  wreathed  with  smiles, 
and  the  face  of  Carrol  in  a  similar  con- 
dition. 

By  this  time  it  was  dusk.  They  be- 
gan to  talk  of  their  approaching  jour- 
ney, and  Carrol  began  to  wonder  why 
Grimes  did  not  appear. 

Suddenly,  in  the  midst  of  this  con- 
versation, they  all  became  aware  of  the 
tramp  of  feet  on  the  stairway  outside 
and  along  the  hall  toward  the  room.  At 
that  sound  a  feeling  of  fearful  appre- 
hension in  one  instant  started  up  with- 
in the  minds  of  all.  The  ladies  turned 
pale,  and  Carrol  started  up  to  his  feet 
in  dismay. 

The  door  opened  without  ceremony, 
and  a  number  of  men  entered  the  room. 
They  were  dressed  as  National  Guards. 


T 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


107 


One  of  these  advanced  toward  the 
group  in  the  room,  wliile  the  rest  stood 
by  the  door.  Others  remained  out- 
side. 

The  man  who  .-xdvanced  looked  with 
sliarp  scrutiny  at  Carrol  and  at  the 
ladies. 

''  Madame  Lovelle,"  said  he,  in 
French,  "  which  is  Madame  Lovelle  ? " 

"What  do  y.)U  want?"  said  Mrs. 
Lovcll,  in  English.  "  I  am  Mrs.  Lov- 
ell." 

"  Pardon,  madame,"  said  the  man, 
who  seemed  to  be  an  officer,  still  speak- 
ing French  ;  "  I  am  charged  with  your 
arrest,  in  the  name  of  the  Republic." 
And  he  laid  his  hand  lightly  upon  her 
shoulder. 

Mrs.  Lovell  did  not  understand  what 
he  said,  but  his  gesture  was  sufficient- 
ly intelligible.  She  shrank  back  in 
terror.  Maud  started  with  a  cry,  and 
flung  her  arms  about  her.  Carrol 
sprang  forward  with  a  menacing  gest- 
ure. 

"Arrest  this  man,"  cried  the  offi- 
cer, "  he  is  the  Prussian  spy  !  " 

At  this  three  men  came  forward  and 
seized  Carrol,  and  at  a  gesture  from 
the  leader  dragged  him  out  at  once. 

"  Madame,"  said  the  officer,  turning 
to  Mrs.  Lovell,  "  you  must  come.  You 
are  my  prisoner." 

Mrs.  Lovell  did  not  understand  the 
words,  but  she  started  back  with  a  cry 
of  despair. 

"  O  Georgie  !  O  my  darling,  darling 
Georgie  !  "  cried  Maud.  "  O,  what  can 
we  do  ?    What  does  it  all  mean  .'  " 

To  this  Mrs.  Lovell  made  no  reply 
whatever.  She  simply  pressed  Maud 
in  her  arms,  and  sobbed  aloud  in  her 
anguish. 

"Pardon,  madame,"  said  the  officer, 
"but  you  must  come."  And  he  took 
her  arm  and  drew  her  along  after  him. 
Maud  clung  to  her,  and  Mrs.  Lovell 
tried  to  cling  to  Maud.  Then  there 
followed  a  pitiable  scene,  —  the  sis- 
ters clinging  to  one  another,  the  offi- 
cer calling  to  his  soldiers  and  tearing 
them  from  one  another's  arms. 

Mrs.  Lovell,  half  fainting,  was 
dragged  away  by  the  soldiers;  while 


Maud,  quite  frantic,  tried  to  cling  to 
her  sister,  and  implored  them  to  take 
her  also.  The  soldiers  kept  her  iiack, 
and,  thus  repelled,  she  stood  for  a  few 
moments  staring  at  them  with  a  white 
face  of  agony,  still  imploring  them  to 
take  her  too.  The  men  did  not  under- 
stand her  words,  however  and  they 
coolly  went  on  with  their  task,  which 
was  to  arrest  in  the  name  of  the  Repub- 
lic Madame  Lovelle  ard  the  Prussian 
spy.  They  dragged  their  prisoners  to- 
ward the  door.  Maud  stood  for  a  few 
moments  overcome  with  anguish  ;  she 
had  seen  Carrol  taken,  and  she  now 
saw  her  sister  dragged  out  after  him. 
With  a  wild  cry  she  rushed  after  Mrs. 
Lovell. 

But  Maud's  strength  had  been  se- 
verely tried  during  the  last  few  weeks, 
and  this  sudden  and  overwhelming 
sorrow  was  too  much  for  her.  Her 
brain  reeled,  her  limbs  failed  ;  and  she 
had  scarce  taken  three  steps  when  she 
fell  senseless  on  the  floor. 

XXIII. 

FLIGHT. 

The  meditations  of  Grimes  during 
the  first  few  minutes  of  his  imprison- 
ment were  by  no  means  pleasant.  To 
have  been  arrested  at  any  time  would 
have  been  bad  enough,  but  at  such  a 
time  as  this  it  was  intolerable.  What 
was  worse,  his  captors  were  citizens 
of  that  great  and  glorious  French  Re- 
public for  which  he  had  been  so  enthu- 
siastic, and  to  which  he  had  been  seek- 
ing to  devote  his  services.  This  was 
the  unkindest  cut  of  all,  and  it  wounded 
him  to  the  soul. 

Grimes,  however,  was  not  the  sort 
of  man  who  could  sit  still  and  brood 
over  his  sufferings.  He  had  a  healthy 
and  hearty  animalism,  which  made  him 
chafe  under  them,  and  move  restlessly 
to  and  fro  like  a  wild  beast  in  his  cage. 
His  first  impulse  was  to  examine  his 
prison  and  its  surroundings,  so  as  to 
see  what  prospects  of  escape  tliere 
might  be.  The  room  itself  was  large 
and  lofty,  with  tiled  floor,  and  two  tall 


io8 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


y  ft 

I   I  u 

■     ,1 


■III  (.  K 

('  I  <n' 


windows  that  opened  witl»  hinges. 
There  was  no  balcony  outside,  and  the 
street  was  too  far  down  to  be  reached 
byanyproc.ss  of  climbing.  The  house 
in  which  he  was  formed  one  in  a  range 
that  extended  all  along  the  street,  and, 
as  far  as  he  could  judge  from  a  hasty 
glance,  was  several  additional  stories 
in  height. 

Although  the  fact  that  he  was  not 
handcuffed  was  very  gratifying,  still 
he  did  not  see  any  prospect  of  imme- 
diate escape.  If  he  should  be  left  in 
that  room  that  night,  he  might  be  able 
to  get  away;  but  the  night  would  be 
or  might  be  too  late.  Mrs.  Lovell  would 
expect  him  at  dusk,  and  what  would 
she  do  if  he  failed  her  ?  What  his 
prospects  were  he  could  not  imi.  •::, 
for  he  could  not  imagine  why  he  Had 
been  arrested.  Whether  he  would  be 
summoned  at  once  for  examination,  or 
made  to  wait,  was  equally  uncertain. 
His  experience  of  French  ways  made 
him  incline  to  the  belief  that  he  would 
have  to  wait  for'  two  or  three  days. 
The  whole  thing  seemed  so  abominably 
stupid  to  him,  and  so  unmeaning,  that 
it  aggravated  him  all  the  more ;  for 
Grimes  had  a  logical  soul,  and  if  there 
had  been  any  motive  whatever  in  his 
arrest,  he  would  not  have  felt  so  utterly 
outraged.  As  it  was,  even  prolonged 
and  heavy  swearing  gave  no  relief; 
and  he  was  compelled  at  last  to  take 
refuge  in  the  silence  of  disgust. 

What  the  ladies  might  do  in  the 
event  of  his  missing  the  appointment, 
he  could  not  conjecture.  In  the  midst 
of  his  meditations,  which  occupied  sev- 
eral hours,  he  was  roused  by  the  rat- 
tling of  keys  at  the  door.  Grimes 
started,  and  looked  up  with  eager  ex- 
pectation, for  now  his  fate  would  be  de- 
cided. His  only  thought  was  that  he 
was  about  to  be  taken  away  for  ex- 
amination. Two  men  came  in,  one  of 
whom  carefully  locked  the  door  on  the 
inside,  and  then  turning  looked  at 
Grimes  with  a  mocking  smile. 

It  was  Du  Potiron.  In  an  instant 
Grimes  understood  it  all.  The  sug- 
gestions of  Carrol  as  to  Du  Potiron's 
taking  a  speedy  vengeance  were  in- 


deed fulfilled ;  and  'his  was  the  mode 
that  he  liad  chosen.  As  Grimes  saw 
his  face,  there  came  over  him  a  terrible 
anxiety  about  Mrs.  Lovell ;  for  now  it 
was  shown  that  Du  Potiron's  threats 
were  not  idle  menaces ;  and  the  same 
force  which  had  been  used  against  him 
could  be  used  with  far  greater  effect 
against  defenceless  women.  The  only 
hope  he  had  \Vas  that  Du  Potiron  might 
not  yet  have  denounced  them,  and  that 
he  might  yet  escape  in  time  to  save 
them. 

Du  Potiron's  face  was  pale  as  usual, 
and  below  his  kepi  might  be  seen  a  bit 
of  sticking-plaster,  which  no  doubt  cov- 
ered the  wound  that  he  had  received 
when  Grimes  knocked  him  down  stairs. 
In  his  face  there  was  a  malice  and 
triumphant  malignancy  that  was  quite 
demoniac.  Grimes,  however,  looked  at 
him  calmly,  and  waited  to  see  what  he 
would  do. 

The  other  man,  whom  Du  Potiron 
had  no  doubt  brought  with  him  for 
purposes  of  safety,  looked  very  much 
like  Du  Potiron,  only  slightly  inferior, 
suggesting  the  idea  that  he  might  be 
an  admirer  or  follower  of  that  great 
man.  He  had  in  his  hands  a  pair  of 
handcuffs,  which  were  no  doubt  brought 
here  to  adorn  the  hands  of  Grimes. 
He  also  had  some  pieces  of  rope,  which 
looked  as  though  they  were  intended 
to  bind  him  still  more  securely. 

"  Eh,  bien  monsieur,"  said  Du  Poti- 
ron, at  last.  "  What  you  zink  now  } 
Hah  ?  You  laugh  at  me  now,  hah  ? 
You  attack  me  now,  will  you  ?  Hah  ? 
Ze  table  is  turn.  Eet  ees  your  turn 
now.    Tr-r-r-r-emblez ! " 

At  this,  which  was  spoken  very  rap- 
idly, very  fiercely,  and  with  manifold 
gesticulation.  Grimes  made  no  reply, 
but  sat  watching  Du  Potiron,  and  occa- 
sionally looking  at  the  other  man.  He 
was  measuring  their  strength  ;  he  was 
cogitating  as  to  the  probability  of  oth- 
ers being  in  the  hall  outside  ;  and  lis- 
tening to  hear  if  there  was  any  shuffling 
or  sound  of  voices.  But  there  was 
nothing  of  the  kind,  and  Crimes  began 
to  meditate  a  desperate  deed. 

"You  not  belief," continued  Du  Pot- 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


109 


iron,  who  was  evidently  a  Piiilistine  and 
had  come  to  crow  over  the  fallen  Sam- 
son, —  "  you  not  belief.  Ah  hah  I  You 
belief  now  ?  Hah  ?  Madame  Lovelle, 
she  not  belief;  she  belief  now.  Hah? 
Come,  you  are  silent.  You  are  dumb. 
Ha,  ha." 

And  Du  Potiron  made  a  low,  mock- 
ing bow,  spreading  out  the  palms  of 
his  hands  ;  after  which  he  raised  him- 
self, and  once  more  regarded  Grimes, 
who  sat  quite  still,  looking  as  before. 

"  l\Ioi,  I  haf  warn  ze  madame  one, 
deux,  tree  fois.  Mais  see  you,  what 
ees  it  now  ;  you  are  spies.  You  and 
ze  madame,  I  haf  denounce  you  bot 
to  ze  Central  Committee  of  ze  section, 
in  ze  nom  sacre  and  august  de  la  lib- 
ertd.  You  haf  been  ze  slaves  of  Bis- 
marck, and  conspire  against  ze  security 
of  la  gr-r-r-r-rande  Rcpublique.  I  haf 
set  ze  loyal  citoizens  to  watch,  and 
you  are  discovaire.    Voili." 

Du  Potiron  paused  again  to  see  if  his 
taunts  would  elicit  any  reply,  but  Grimes 
still  held  his  peace,  and  sat  as  before 
in  the  same  attentive  and  thoughtful 
attitude. 

"  Aha,"  continued  Du  Potiron.  "  You 
fly  in  ze  balloon  ?  Hah  ?  Monsieur 
Nadar.  Hah  ?  Ma  foi.  You  wish  you 
escape  me.  Aha  ?  You  not  escape 
zees  way  so  easy.  I  haf  set  my  heart 
on  vengeance,  and  I  haf  denounce  you 
as  ze  enemy  of  ze  sublime  Rdpu'jlique. 
All  ze  disloyal  must  perish.  La  France 
will  destroy  ze  tyrant,  and  ze  oppressor, 
and  ze  despot.  You  sail  not  escape  ; 
ze  madame  sail  not  escape.  I  am  im- 
placable. Moi,  I  nevaire  forgif,  nevaire. 
You  air  doom  !  " 

Du  Potiron  frowned  in  what  he 
meant  to  be  a  terrible  manner,  shook 
his  cienched  fists  with  melodramatic 
energy  against  Grimes,  and  stood  star- 
ing at  him  to  watch  the  effect  of  his 
words. 

"  Aha,"  he  burst  out  at  last.  "  You 
say  notin  ;  you  dumb  ;  you  preten  to 
be  calm.  But  are  doom,  and  Madame 
Lovelle  is  doom,  and  you  bot  sail  sof- 
faire.  I  sail  nevaire  forgive.  I  am 
implacable,  inflexible,  inexorable.  You 
are  lost ;  zere  is  no  hope,  no  possibility 


of  redemption.  Aha,  does  zat  -nake 
you  tr-r-r-emble  ? " 

At  this  moment  Grimes  rose  quickly, 
snatched  his  revo'ver  from  his  pocket, 
advanced  two  steps,  and  seized  Du 
Potiron  by  the  throat  so  as  to  almost 
choke  him,  and  levelled  his  pistol  at 
the  other  man.  Tlie  whole  movement 
was  so  sudden  and  so  unexpected,  that 
both  were  taken  by  complete  surprise. 

"  If  you  say  a  word,  I  '11  fire,"  said 
Grimes,  in  a  low,  stern  voice,  as  he 
covered  the  other  fellow  with  his  pis- 
tol, and  held  Du  Potiron's  throat  in 
his  iron  clutch.  The  other  man  did  n't 
seem  to  require  any  such  warning.  His 
face  was  livid  with  terror;  his  knees 
shook ;  and  the  ropes  and  manacles 
fell  upon  the  floor. 

'•Pick  them  up,"  said  Grimes,  whose 
Yankee  French  now  came  out  unrom- 
monly  strong. 

The  man  stooped  tremblingly,  and 
picked  up  the  ropes  and  handcuffs. 

"Bring  them  here." 

The  man  obeyed. 

"  Now  put  them  on  this  man,"  said 
Grimes.  "  If  you  don't,  I  '11  blow  your 
brains  out." 

With  these  words  he  pushed  Du 
Potiron  around  so  that  the  other  man 
could  get  at  his  hands,  while  he  him- 
self watched  every  movement.  Du 
Potiron  meanwhile  had  made  a  few 
contortions,  but  the  suddenness  of  this 
attack,  and  its  overwhelming  character, 
deprived  him  of  all  force.  The  iron 
grasp  on  his  throat  almost  suffocated 
him,  and  thus  he  stood  perfectly  help- 
less. The  other  man  tremblingly  took 
the  handcuffs  and  put  them  on  Du 
Potiron's  hands. 

"Now,"  said  Grimes,  "take  off  his 
cravat  and  tie  it  over  his  mouth, 
tight." 

The  man  obeyed.  The  cravat  was 
large  enough  to  serve  the  purpose  of  a 
gag ;  and  while  the  man  was  tying  it 
on.  Grimes  tested  it  from  time  to  time, 
making  him  tie  it  tighter,  till  at  length 
it  seemed  to  him  to  be  safe  enough. 

Now  Grimes  .seized  a  piece  of  rope, 
and  warning  Du  Potiron  not  to  move 
for  his  life,  he  made  the  other  man  turn 


:|- 


no 


A  Comcdj/  of  Terrors. 


r  ti* 


It 


illl 

•■Ktm\' 

111  MM 

1 1I  «llil 

Miti: 

llli«! 


'».P 


round,  and  then  he  secured  his  hands 
tightly  bcliind  liis  back.  After  tliis  he 
took  his  cravat,  and  gagged  liim  in  tlie 
same  way  that  Uu  Totiron  had  been 
served. 

IJut  this  was  not  enough.  He  wanted 
to  put  it  out  of  the  power  of  liis  two 
prisoners  to  move ;  so  lie  made  them 
both  lie  down,  impressing  his  orders 
upon  them  by  holding  the  muzzle  of 
the  pistol  against  the  foreheads  of  each 
in  succession.  Resistance  was  useless. 
Both  lay  down,  and  Grimes,  taking 
some  more  rope,  bound  the  feet  of 
each.  He  then  made  them  stand  up, 
fastened  them  back  to  back,  and  passed 
the  end  of  the  line  securely  around  an 
iron  rod  that  supported  a  heavy  shelf 
on  one  side  of  the  room. 

All  this  had  been  done  with  a  neat- 
ness and  despatch  that  showed  the 
practised  hand.  After  the  work  was 
finished,  Grimes  restored  his  pistol  to 
his  pocket. 

"  Pardon,"  said  he,  somewhat  grimly, 
"you  will  see  that  I  must  escape,  and, 
in  order  to  do  that,  I  had  to  tie  you  in 
this  way.  I  may  not  see  you  again, 
and  so  I  will  wish  you  every  happiness 
in  tl)e  world,  and  say,  adieu." 

With  these  words  he  turned  away, 
and,  picking  up  the  keys  which  Uu 
Potiron  had  dropped  at  the  first  onset, 
he  went  towards  the  door,  and  tried 
each  one  till  he  found  the  right  one. 

So  far  all  had  gone  off  well,  but  the 
question  still  remained,  how  was  he  to 
get  out  of  the  house.  He  saw  that  he 
could  not  go  down  stairs,  and  his  idea 
was  to  ascend  to  the  roof.  His  long 
meditations  over  balloons  had  made  the 
upper  regions  of  the  air  quite  a  natural 
subject  for  his  mind  to  dwell  upon,  and 
he  tiiought  that  if  he  once  got  up  there 
he  might  be  safe. 

He  opened  the  door  cautiously  and 
peepod  out.     The  hall  was  empty. 

He  went  out  and  listened.  There 
was  no  sound  at  all.  It  seemed  as 
though  the  upper  stories  of  the  house 
were  not  tenanted.  The  apartments, 
he  thought,  might  be  storerooms  of 
some  kind,  or  perhaps  they  were  de- 
serted on  account  of  the  siege. 


There  was  no  use  in  hesitating  any 
longer,  so  he  locked  the  door  behind 
him,  put  the  keys  in  his  pocket,  and 
walked  away  with  as  little  noise  as  pos- 
sible. Finding  that  his  boots  creaked, 
he  tore  them  off,  and  thrusting  one  in 
each  side-pocket  ofhis  coat  he  hastened 
along  the  hall. 

He  soon  reached  the  stairway. 
Looking  up  he  found  the  coast  clear, 
and  looking  down  he  saw  the  story  be- 
low ajjparently  deserted.  He  ran  up 
the  stairs,  and  continued  ascending  till 
he  reached  the  topmost  story.  Here 
he  found  a  step-ladder  going  up  to  the 
roof.  Climbing  this  he  raised  a  small 
trap-door  which  closed  the  opening, 
and  stepped  out  upon  the  roof.  Then 
he  shut  down  the  trap,  and  seating 
himself  upon  it  he  drew  a  long  breath 
of  relief,  and  looked  around  with  a 
comprehensive  stare,  and  then  putting 
on  his  boots  again  he  began  to  medi- 
tate over  the  situation. 

The  houses  were  flat  roofed  or  al- 
most flat,  and  were  joined  togetlier  so 
closely  that  he  could  walk  on  for  a  long 
distance  without  difficulty  and  without 
being  seen  from  the  street.  The  diffi- 
culty was  how  he  was  to  get  down 
again.  This  was  a  thing  that  he  did 
not  know  exactly  how  to  contrive.  Af- 
ter some  thought  he  decided  on  leaving 
this  place  and  going  over  the  roofs  of 
the  houses ;  such  a  journey  might  re- 
veal some  practicable  way  of  descend- 
ing. He  might  find  a  ladder  or  a 
staging  or  something  of  that  sort.  He 
accordingly  started  off  and  walked  on 
till  he  reached  a  corner  house,  where 
any  further  progress  in  that  direction 
was  impossible.  He  now  turned  to  the 
right,  where  the  row  of  houses  still  ex- 
tended along  the  street,  and  traversed 
several  of  these.  At  length  he  saw 
something  which  suggested  a  way  of 
escape  in  case  of  an  emergency.  It 
was  a  trap-door,  something  like  the  one 
through  which  he  had  passed.  Here 
at  least  there  seemed  a  way  to  get 
down,  and  it  was  the  only  way.  All 
the  other  traps  and  skylights  had  been 
closed.  He  knelt  down  by  this  and 
looked  down.     He  saw  nothing  but  the 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


Ill 


floor  of  the  ball,  nor  did  lie  hear  any- 
thing. This  encouraged  liini,  and  he 
decided  to  make  his  descent  licrc.  liut 
to  do  so  by  daylight  seemed  too  haz- 
ardous, and  he  thought  it  would  be  safer 
to  wait  till  dusk.  He  seated  himself 
here  and  kept  a  vigilant  watch,  ready 
if  there  appeared  any  signs  of  pursuit 
to  plunge  down  and  close  the  trap  after 
him.  IJut  no  signs  of  pursuit  appeared, 
and  Grimes  thought  pleasantly  that  his 
cfibrts  to  secure  the  prisoners  had  been 
crowned  with  complete  success.  They 
had  been  unable  to  free  themselves,  and 
had  probably  not  received  any  visit 
from  their  comrades. 

Two  or  three  hours  passed,  and 
Crimes  waited  very  patiently,  feeling 
sure  now  that,  if  he  only  effected  his  es- 
cape, he  would  be  able  to  be  at  the 
rendezvous  in  time.  At  length  it  grew 
sufficiently  dark  for  his  purpose,  —  just 
dark  enough  for  safety,  yet  also  suffi- 
ciently light  for  him  to  find  his  way. 
Once  more  he  removed  his  boots  and 
cautiously  descended.  As  he  reached 
the  attic  floor  he  listened,  but  heard 
nothing.  Reassured,  he  descended 
farther.  He  met  no  one.  He  went 
farther  and  farther  down,  and  now  dis- 
covered that  the  house  was  uninhabit- 
ed. By  certain  signs  of  disorder  he 
thought  that  it  had  been  visited  by 
thieves,  who  had  left  the  trap  open. 
Reaching  at  length  the  door  of  the  co/i- 
cicigcrie,  he  found  this  locked,  but  an- 
other door  had  a  key  in  the  lock,  and 
opening  this  he  found  himself  in  the 
court-yard,  where  he  put  on  his  boots 
again  and  looked  around.  Here  a  gate 
opened  into  the  street,  and  was  secured 
by  a  bar.  Grimes  removed  this,  and 
stepped  forth  into  the  street. 

A  cab  was  passing.  He  hailed  it, 
and  told  the  driver  to  take  him  to  the 
Place  de  la  Concorde.  In  due  time  he 
reached  his  destination,  and,  leaving 
the  cab,  he  hurried  off  with  a  light 
heart  toward  Mrs.  Lovell's  lodgings. 

The  -darkness  had  now  increased, 
but  the  moon  was  shining,  and  the 
night  was  still.  All  things  promised  a 
propitious  voyage.  On  reaching  Mrs. 
Lovell's  lodgings,  he  was  surprised  to 


find  that  there  were  no  lights.  How- 
ever, he  knew  his  way  well  enough  to 
her  a|)artments,  and  he  went  on,  full  of 
confidence,  till  he  reachetl  them.  All 
was  still.  The  door  was  open.  He 
entered  with  a  strange  feeling  o.'  ap- 
prehension. The  moonbeams  streamed 
in  through  the  windows  and  illumined 
the  interior. 

Grimes  saw  not'.iing  of  the  general 
appearance  of  things,  his  whole  atten- 
tion being  arrested  by  one  sight;  It 
was  the  figure  of  a  lady  prostrate  on 
the  floor,  lying  in  the  moonlight,  face 
downward.  The  heart  of  Grimes  gave 
a  wild  throb,  ami  he  rushed  forward 
and  knelt  by  her  side.  He  raised  her 
up.  Her  face,  but  dimly  visible  in  the 
moonlight,  was  half  concealed  by  the 
disordered  hair  that  had  fallen  across 
it.     Her  hands  were  cold. 

Grimes  was  bewildered.  He  raised 
the  lifeless  form  in  his  arms  and  kissed 
the  pale  forche.ad,  the  closed  eyes,  the 
cold  lips. 

What  was  he  to  do  ? 

Send  for  help  ? 

IJut  the  house  seemed  deserted. 
There  was  no  help  to  be  had.  Re- 
sides, he  dared  not  wait,  for  now  he 
felt  as  though  all  the  National  Guards 
of  Paris  were  on  his  track,  headed  by 
Du  Potiron,  who  would  lead  them  here 
first  of  all.  Then  both  would  be  ar- 
rested. There  was  only  one  thing,  — 
flight,  instant,  immediate  ! 

It  could  only  be  a  faint.  She  would 
recover.  Ah  !  he  saw  it  all.  She  had 
waited,  and  he  had  not  come.  Carrol 
had  come,  and  in  his  impatience  taken 
Miss  Ileathcote.  Mrs.  Lovell  had  still 
waited.  She  had  been  overcome  with 
anxiety  about  him.  She  had  not  thought 
him  false,  but  she  had  feared  for  his 
safety.  She  must  have  divined  his  ar- 
rest and  his  danger.  The  thought  had 
been  too  dreadful. 

Grimes's  whole  nature  melted  down 
into  utter  softness  beneath  the  power 
of  such  piteous  thoughts. 

"  We  must  fly,"  he  murmured.  "  We 
must  get  to  the  balloon.  She  '11  re- 
vive when  she  gets  up  aloft." 

Saying  this  he  rose  up,  carrying  the 


I'il' 


:■  'I! 


Ill 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors, 


\\\ 


its 

•"I 

m 


iw 


itti 


senseless  lady  in  his  arms,  and  hurried 
down  to  the  street.  Tliere  he  fjot  a 
cab,  and  drove  to  the  Place  St.  I'icrre. 
The  lady  still  continued  senseless. 
Grimes  held  her  in  his  arms,  and  al- 
lowed himself  to  indulge  in  number- 
less tendernesses,  feeling  as  thouf  i 
such  acts  and  words  as  these  were 
better  adapted  to  win  his  loved  one 
back  to  life  than  any  quantity  of  the 
ordinary  restoratives,  such  as  burnt 
feather,  cold  water,  and  rubbings. 

At  last  they  reached  the  Place  Bas- 
tille. A  crowd  was  there.  High  in 
the  air  floated  the  dark  outlines  of  two 
balloons,  still  held  to  the  earth  by  their 
ropes,  waiting  for  their  passengers, 
struggling  to  be  free.  M.  Nadar  had 
been  faithful.  He  rushed  forward  to 
the  cab.  Grimes  emerged,  carrying 
his  precious  burden. 

"  Haste  !  haste  !  "  cried  M.  Nadar. 
"  I  've  been  waiting  an  hour." 

"  Have  the  others  come  'i "  asked 
Grimes. 

"  No,  not  yet.    Haste,  haste." 

Grimes  was  a  little  surprised,  but 
his  anxiety  about  his  lifeless  burden 
drove  away  other  thoughts. 

"  This  lady  's  fainted,"  he  said ;  "  I 
want  to  restore  her." 

"  She  '11  revive,"  said  M.  Nadar ; 
"if  you  wait  now,  you  cannot  go  at 
all." 

Grimes  said  nothing,  but  hurried  to 
the  balloon.  He  lifted  the  lady  into 
the  car.     Then  he  got  in  himself. 

"  Are  you  ready  ?  "  asked  M.  Nadar. 

"  Wait,"  said  Grimes,  "  my  friends 
have  not  come." 

M.  Nadar  fumed  and  fussed. 

In  a  few  moments  a  cab  was  seen 
hastening  toward  the  place. 

"  They  have  come,"  said  M.  Nadar. 
"  There  is  the  cab.    Are  you  ready  ? " 

Grimes  looked  out.  He  saw  the  cab. 
He  had  no  other  thought  than  that  this 
was  Carrol  and  Miss  Heathcote.  Ha 
had  a  dread  of  Du  Potiron  and  his 
National  Guards. 

"  Yes,"  he  said  quickly. 

In  another  moment  the  earth  sank 
away,  and  the  everlasting  ether  re- 
ceived him  into  its  embrace. 


XXIV. 

A  RESCUE. 

Carrol  had  been  seized  and  led  away 
at  the  beginning  of  the  disturbance 
consequent  upon  Mrs.  LovcU's  arrest, 
and  had  not  therefore  been  an  eye- 
witness of  the  distressing  incidents 
connected  with  it.  Upon  him,  the  im- 
pression that  was  produced  by  this 
event  was  slightly  different  from  the 
actual  fact.  When  the  soldiers  entered, 
his  only  ide;.  was  that  it  was  Maud, 
and  not  Mrs.  Lovell,  for  whom  they 
were  come  ;  and  when  he  was  dr.igged 
away  the  same  idea  was  in  his  mind. 

Such  an  idea  was  perfectly  natural 
under  the  circumstances.  In  the  first 
place,  Carrol,  as  a  matter  of  course,  was 
morally  incapable  at  that  time  of  bring- 
ing his  mind  to  bear  upon  any  other 
thought  than  that  of  Maud.  In  the 
second  place,  a  large  part  of  their  con- 
versation that  afternoon  had  referred 
to  Du  Potiron,  for  Maud  had  once 
more  to  explain  the  misdirected  letters, 
and  she  had  also  much  to  tell  about 
Du  Potiron's  persecution  of  her  in 
Paris.  She  herself  only  knew  this  from 
Mrs.  Lovell's  narrative,  but  Carrol's 
idea  was  that  she  had  been  personally 
annoyed  by  it  all  along.  She  had  al- 
luded with  some  uneasiness  to  Du 
Potiron's  threats,  and  they  had  dis- 
cussed the  possibility  of  his  carrying 
those  threats  into  execution. 

Now,  all  was  lost.  Maud  was  seized. 
She  would  be  in  the  power  of  tliis  vile 
scoundrel,  and  no  effort  of  his  could 
possibly  save  her.  This  thought  cre- 
ated an  anguish  of  soul  which  could 
not  indeed  be  greater  than  that  which 
he  had  suffered  from  other  causes  dur- 
ing the  last  few  weeks,  but  was  cer- 
tainly quite  as  great.  His  guards  were  . 
too  numerous  for  resistance  to  be  pos- 
sible. He  was  dragged  along  helpless- 
ly, almost  mad  with  the  emotions  that 
had  been  wrought  within  him  by  this 
fearful  revulsion  from  the  highest  bliss 
to  the  profoundest  misery. 

But  Carrol,  in  spite  of  his  highly 
emotional  nature,  was  essentially  a 
man  of  action,  and  wherever  there  was 


ii 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


"3 


the  f.iinlcst  hope  of  doing  anything  he 
c.iu;^lit  at  it.  It  occurred  to  iiini  tliat 
his  only  chance  of  escape  now  lay 
in  winning  over  some  one  of  his  cap- 
tors. Hut  how  was  this  to  be  done  ? 
He  could  not  speak  French,  and  besiilcs 
there  were  too  many  of  them  ;  fur  even 
if  any  one  should  be  willing  to  help 
him,  he  could  not  do  so  in  the  presence 
of  the  others.  Under  these  circum- 
stances a  thought  occurred  to  Carrol 
as  a  last  resort,  and  he  at  once  acted 
upon  it.  It  was  a  very  natural  thought. 
He  could  not  speak  French,  but  some 
one  of  them  might  possibly  speak  I'lng- 
lish.  This  accomplishment  was  not  un- 
common in  Paris.  Any  knowledge  of 
English,  however  slight,  would  serve 
his  purposes. 

So  he  asked  the  soldiers  nearest  him, 
one  after  the  other,  if  they  spoke  Eng- 
lish. They  shock  their  heads  with  the 
usual  coiitprend  pas.  "  Does  any 
one  speak  English  .' "  he  said  in  a 
voice  loud  enough  to  be  heard  by  all. 
At  this  one  of  those  in  front  turned. 
As  he  was  the  only  one  of  all  of  them 
that  took  any  notice  of  this  question, 
it  seemed  quite  evident  that  he  alone 
understood  it. 

"  Do  you  speak  English  ?  "  said 
Carrol. 

"  Oui,  monsieur.  Yes,  I  spik  In- 
glis." 

Carrol  was  much  encouraged  by  the 
face  of  this  man.  It  was  not  a  high- 
toned  face  :  it  was  the  face  of  one  who 
was  corruptible,  such  a  face  as  one 
often  sees  among  the  great  population 
of  couriers,  cicerones,  landlords,  wait- 
ers, and  policemen  on  the  Continent, 
—  the  face  that  is  associated  with  the 
crafty  soul  and  the  itching  palm. 

"  I  will  give  a  thousand  francs,  any- 
thing, if  you  will  help  me  and  the  lady 
to  escape." 

The  man's  eyes  flashed,  his  counte- 
nance lighted  up.  He  hesitated  for  a 
moment,  and  then  so'd  in  a  dry,  busi- 
ness-like voice,  "  Oui,  monsieur." 

"  What  does  he  say  ? "  asked  one  of 
the  men,  walking  with  him. 

"O,  nothing;  he  asked  if  his  lodg- 
ings had  been  searched,  and  I  told 
8 


him  yes.  I  don't  know,  were  they 
searchetl .' " 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  the  other,  "  but 
it's  as  well  to  make  him  think  so." 

"  So  I  supposed,"  said  the  first 
speaker. 

Carrol  said  no  more.  This  little  in- 
cident took  some  of  the  loail  of  an.xicty 
off  his  mind.  It  was  a  small  en()uj;h 
incident  in  itself,  and  a  rascal  like  this 
was  but  a  broken  reed ;  yet  Carrol 
could  not  avoid  relying  upon  this  ras- 
cal's fortunate  rascality,  and  hoping 
much  from  it. 

Not  long  after  they  re.ached  their 
destination,  which  was  not  far  from 
Mrs.  Lovell's.  The  vast  number  of 
^«rtj/-military  men  who  now  filled  Paris 
rendered  necessary  a  large  number  of 
depots  for  their  accommodation,  and 
for  the  reception  of  arms  and  stores. 
It  was  to  cue  of  these  places  that  Car- 
rol was  taken.  It  was  a  large  edifice, 
with  a  court-yard  which  was  filled  with 
bagg.ige-wagons.  As  Carrol  was  taken 
up  stairs,  he  noticed  that  there  were 
few  men  to  be  seen,  and  from  appear- 
ances he  conjectured  that  the  place 
was  used  as  a  storehouse  for  commis- 
sariat purposes.  A  single  light  was 
burning  on  each  of  the  stairways  which 
he  ascended,  and  the  long  lialls  were 
dark  and  gloomy.  Boxes  and  bundles 
of  a  miscellaneous  description  lay 
around,  and  other  collections  of  the 
same  kind  could  be  seen  in  some  of 
the  rooms  whose  doors  happened  to  be 
open.  It  was  evidently  not  a  regular 
prison,  but  merely  used  by  his  captors 
for  that  purpose,  to  save  themselves 
trouble.  This  was  a  discovery  which 
went  still  further  to  encourage  him,  for 
it  led  to  the  hope  that  he  might  not  be 
very  closely  guarded. 

In  the  mean  time  Mrs.  Lovcll  had 
also  been  arrested  in  the  way  above 
described,  and  h.id  been  led  away  by 
her  captors.  Paralyzed  by  the  sudden- 
ness of  ti.e  event,  and  by  the  terror 
that  lay  before  her,  she  was  for  some 
time  almost  in  a  state  of  unconscious- 
ness. The  despairing  cry  of  Maud 
kept  ringing  in  her  ears,  and  added 
to  her  own  despair.     In  her  agitation 


*lh;: 


T 


114 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


>     1   r 

Wl 

llli 

'  ..a 
1Kb 

B 

HI 

,  i  III' 


she  addressed  the  most  frantic  words 
to  her  captors,  —  expostuhitions,  pray- 
ers, entreaties, —  but  all  this  met  with 
no  response  of  any  kind.  They  did  not 
treat  her  with  any  incivility;  they  ledlier 
along  as  considerately  as  was  possible 
under  such  circumstances,  but  no  effort 
was  made  to  console  her,  or  to  alleviate 
her  distress.  About  ten  minutes  after 
Carrol  had  been  safely  deposited  in  his 
allotted  prison,  Mrs.  Lovell  was  con- 
ducted into  the  same  house,  and  put 
into  another  icom.  Then  the  lock 
was  turned,  and  she  was  left  to  her  own 
meditations. 

Gloomy  and  despairing  indeed  were 
those  meditations.  The  room  was  per- 
fectly dark,  and  she  had  not  the  remot- 
est idea  where  she  was.  At  first,  the 
horror  of  her  situation  overwhelmed 
her,  and  she  stood  motionless,  her 
heart  beating  wildly,  and  her  brain 
filled  with  a  thousand  ideas  of  terror. 

But  at  length  other  and  better 
thoughts  came ;  for,  after  all,  she  had 
a  buoyant  nature  and  a  sanguine  dis- 
position, and  now,  in  spite  of  the  terrors 
of  her  position,  these  began  slowly  to 
assert  tl  emselves.  First,  she  thought 
of  Mauc',  and  it  was  with  a  feeling  of 
immense  relief  that  she  thought  of  her 
sister's  not  being  arrested.  Then  her 
thoughts  reverted  to  Mr.  Grimes. 

The  moment  that  the  stalwart  figure 
of  Mr.  Grimes  stood  revealed  to  her 
mind's  eye,  that  very  moment  a  thousand 
hopeful  considerations,  a  thousand  en- 
couraging ideas  presented  themselves. 
It  was  the  time  for  Mr.  Grimes  to  come. 
He  would  not  be  late.  He  must,  she 
thought,  even  by  this  time  have  ar- 
rived. He  would  come  there,  he  would 
see  Maud,  and  would  learn  all  that 
had  happened.  A  smile  of  trust  and 
hopefulness  crossed  her  face  as  she 
thou:;ht  of  the  eager  and  energetic  way 
in  which  Grimes  would  fly  to  her  res- 
cue. First  of  all,  he  would  convey 
Maud  to  a  place  of  safety,  where  she 
would  be  altogether  out  of  the  reach  of 
Du  Potiron.  Then  he  would  institute 
a  search  after  her.  lie  would  fly  to  her 
relief  He  would  come,  and  without  de- 
lay.   It  surely  would  uot  be  difficult  for 


him  to  learn  where  she  had  been  taken. 
He  would  not  leave  her  here  to  suffer 
in  imprisonment  and  in  anguish.  He 
would  surely  come, — yes,  even  this 
night,  and  soon,  before  many  hours,  — 
yes,  at  any  moment.  At  length,  confi- 
dent and  expectant,  she  felt  about  the 
room  in  the  dark  till  she  found  a  chair, 
and,  dr  wing  this  close  to  the  door, 
she  sat  there,  and  watched,  and  lis- 
tened, and  waited  for  the  appearance  of 
Mr.  Grimes. 

Meanwhile  Carrol  had  been  securely 
deposited  in  his  room,  and  had  striven 
with  the  difficulties  of  his  situation  as 
he  best  could.  There  was,  of  course, 
only  one  ray  of  hope  left,  and  that  ray 
beamed  from  the  rather  villanous-look- 
ing  eye  of  the  man  that  was  able  to 
"spik  Inglis.''  It  was,  naturally  enough, 
rather  a  feeble  ray  ;  but  feeble  as  it  was, 
it  served  to  throw  a  little  light  into  the 
gloom  of  Carrol's  prospects,  and  all  his 
thoughts  and  hopes  centred  upon  the 
possible  appearance  of  this  man.  That 
appearance  ought  to  take  place  on  this 
night  if  it  was  going  to  occur  at  all ; 
and  so  while  Mrs.  Lovell  sat  wailing 
for  Mr.  Grimes,  Carrol  was  waiting 
with  far  less  confidence,  but  with  equal 
impatience,  for  his  deliverer. 

The  thoughts  of  expectation  were 
mingled  with  others.  His  mind  con- 
stantly reverted  to  Maud.  Wher;  was 
she  now,  he  thought.  Perhaps  she  is 
in  this  very  building,  confined  in  a 
room  like  this,  in  the  dark,  full  of  de- 
spair. O,  what  bliss  it  would  be  if  I 
could  but  appear  to  her  at  such  a  time 
as  this,  and  save  her  from  such  a  fate  ! 
This  thought  was  so  sweet,  that  he 
could  scarce  lose  sight  of  it.  To  him 
it  seemed  inexpressibly  pleasant.  To 
save  Maud  now  would  be  something 
that  might  atone  for  the  anguish  that 
she  had  endured  on  his  account.  What 
a  glorious  recompense  !  How  the 
darkness  of  tliat  old  memory  would  be 
swallowed  up  in  the  sunlight  of  this 
new  joy  !  So  he  sat  there,  and  he 
brooded  over  this  thou-'ht,  and  he 
longed  with  longing  inexpressible  that 
he  might  be  able  to  do  all  this  for 
Maud. 


. 


T 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


115 


To 

etliing 
that 
What 
w  the 
luld  be 
)f  this 
nd  he 
id  he 
le  that 
lis  for 


And  Mrs.  Lovell  sat,  and  she  lis- 
tened, and  she  waited  for  Grimes  full 
of  trust. 

And  the  hours  slowly  passed,  the 
hours  of  night. 

Midnight  came. 

The  peal  of  bells  from  the  tower  of 
a  neigrhborinir  church  announced  this 
fict  to  both  of  the  watchers.  Mrs. 
I.ovell  gave  a  sigh  of  distress.  Carrol 
gave  a  Iialf-groan. 

But  scarce  had  the  last  stroke  died 
away  on  the  still  niglit  air,  when  Car- 
rol's acute  senses,  which  had  been 
sharpened  to  an  intense  degree  by  his 
long  watch,  became  aware  of  a  soft 
shuftling  sound  along  the  hall  outside. 

He  listened,  breathless  ! 

The  sounds  approached  his  room. 
They  were  low,  shuftling,  and  regular. 

They  were  footsteps. 

As  Carrol  ascertained  this  fact,  his 
heart  stopped  bexting,  and  in  the  in- 
tensity of  his  ai  ::;ety  lie  seemed  turned 
to  stone. 

The  footsteps  drew  nearer. 

Then  they  reached  th.e  door. 

Then  there  was  a  pause  for  a  time, 
after  which  a  key  was  noiselessly  in- 
serted, the  bolt  was  drawn  back,  the 
door  opened,  and  a  voice  said  in  a 
whisper,  "  Are  you  wake  ?  " 

■'  Yes,"  said  Carrol  in  a  low  voice, 
scarce  able  to  speak  in  the  intensity 
of  his  excitement. 

"  S-s-s-s-st !  "  said  the  other  in  a 
low  voice. 

He  now  came  softly  in  and  shut 
the  door  behind  him,  turning  the  key 
again. 

"  I  can  safe  you,"  said  he  in  a  whis- 
per. 

"  The  lady  —  "  said  Carrol  in  the 
same  tone. 

"  She  is  here." 

"  In  this  house  ?  "  asked  Carrol,  as 
his  heart  gave  a  fierce  throb  of  joy. 

"  Yes." 

"  She  must  be  saved  too." 

"  Yes,  we  sail  safe  her  too,"  said  the 
man. 

"  When  ?  when  ?  "  asked  Carrol, 
whose  impatience  was  now  intolera- 
ble. 


"  Now,  —  toute  suite,"  said  the  other. 

"  Make  haste,  then  ;  don't  keep  me 
waiting  any  longer,"  saiil  Carrol  fever- 
ishly, in  a  scarce  articulate  whisper. 

"  Wait,"  said  the  man.  "  How  mooch 
you  gif  me  for  dis  ?  " 

"  Anytliing  ;  anything,  if  you  only 
save  me  —  " 

"  But  how  mooch  ?  " 

"  Anytliing,"  said  Carrol  hurriedly. 
"  A  thousand  francs." 

"You  make  him  a  tousand  dollar," 
said  tiic  Frenchman. 

"  I  W..1,  1  swear  I  will.     Come." 

"  iMais,  wait.  How  I  know  dat  you 
sail  gif  it  ?■' 

"  I  'm  rich.     I  've  got  plenty." 

"  When  you  gif  him  ?  " 

"  O,  as  soon  as  I  can  get  it !  To- 
morrow.    Come,  make  haste." 

"  O,  oui  ;  i)lenty  time.  Mais,  how 
I  know  I  sail  get  him .''  Can  you  gif 
him  dis  night .'  " 

"  To-nigiit ;  no,  I  must  get  it  from 
my  banker." 

"  Mais,  eet  ees  too  long  to  wait." 

Carrol  ground  his  teeth  in  rage  and 
Impatience. 

"  Here,"  he  said,  snatching  his  purse 
from  his  pocket,  and  thrusting  it  into 
the  man's  hand,  "  there  are  about  a 
thousand  francs  in  this.  I  swear  to 
you,  by  all  that 's  holy,  I  '11  give  you 
the  rest  the  first  thing  to-morrow.  You 
may  st.-iy  with  me  till  then,  if  you  're 
afraid." 

The  man  took  it,  then  he  went  to  a 
corner  of  the  room  and  knelt  down. 
Tlien  he  drew  a  match,  and,  holding 
this  in  one  hand,  he  looked  over  tlie 
contents  of  the  purse  by  tiie  light  of 
the  match,  with  a  quick  and  practised 
glance.  A  few  moments  were  enough. 
He  extinguislied  the  match  and  came 
back  to  Carrol. 

"  Dees  sail  do  for  de  present,"  he 
said.  "  And  now  we  sail  go.  But  you 
mus  take  olTyour  boots."' 

Carrol  tore  off  his  boots  as  quickly 
as  he  could. 

"  Gif  me  your  hand,"  said  the  French- 
man. *'  I  sail  lead  you  to  the  lady, 
and  den  we  sail  all  go  together.'' 

Carrol  grasped  the  outstretched  hand 


.11 


ii6 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


^\ . ; 


-■nr ! 


tSi: 


II 


of  tlie  oilier,  and  in  this  way  tlicy  left 
the  room. 

Mrs.  Lovell  listened  and  waited. 

The  midnight  hour  had  tolled. 

Time  still  went  on. 

At  last  she  heard  sounds  outside,  — 
shufiling  sounds. 

They  approached  l>er  door  ! 

"  At  last !  O,  at  last !  "  she  miir- 
mered.  "  O,  how  faithful  !  I  knew 
he  'd  come  !  " 

The  key  was  inserted,  the  door  gen- 
tly opened.  Mrs.  Lovell  rose  to  her 
feet,  and,  trembling  in  every  limb,  she 
tottered  forward,  scarce  '.ble  to  stand, 
and  utterly  unable  to  speak,  holding 
out  her  cold  and  tremulous  hands 
eagerly  and  longingly. 

Carrol's  heart  throbbed  with  wild 
and  furious  agitation.  As  the  door 
opened  he  rushed  forward.  One  step 
inside,  and  he  encountered  Mrs.  Lovell. 

He  flung  his  arms  around  her  in  a 
fervid  embrace.  He  pressed  her  again 
and  again  to  his  throbbing  heart.  For 
a  few  moments  he  was  utterly  unable 
to  articulate  one  single  sound.  At  last, 
as  he  held  her  once  more  to  his  heart, 
he  murmured,  "O  my  darling!  O 
my  darling  !  " 

"  I  knew  —  you  'd  come,"  sighed 
Mrs.  Lovell  in  a  scarce  audible  whis- 
per. 

"  O  my  own  dar  —  " 

"  S-s-s-s-st !  "  said  the  Frenchman 
in  a  low  voice.  "  Make  haste.  We 
mus  haste.  Dcr  is  no  time.  Come, 
take  my  hand  again,  and  I  sail  lead  de 
way." 

Carrol  grasped  Mrs.  Lovell's  hand 
and  seized  the  Frencliman's.  They 
went  along  the  hall  and  down  a  flight 
of  steps  and  into  a  long  hall  which 
went  to  the  other  end  of  the  court-yard. 
Here  they  descended  and  reached  a 
gate.  But  Mrs.  Lovell  was  weak,  and 
tnough  she  clung  to  Carrol  she  could 
not  walk  well.  The  intense  excitement 
of  that  night  had  unnerved  her. 

Carrol  murmured  in  her  ear  words  of 
love  and  encouragement,  and  then  raised 
her  in  his  arms.  She  was  a  little  wo- 
man, and  not  so  heavy  but  that  Carrol 
was  able  to  carry  her.    But  his  own 


natural  strengtli  was  increased  l>y  liis 
enthusiasm  and  joy;  and  Mrs.  Lovell, 
utterly  overcome  by  contending  emo- 
tions, twined  her  arms  about  his  neck, 
while  her  head  sank  upon  his  shoulder. 

XXV. 

AN  OVERWHELMING  DISCOVERY. 

The  Frenchman  now  opened  a  door 
at  tlie  back  of  the  house,  and  Carrnl 
passed  out  into  a  street. 

It  was  quite  dark.  The  moon,  whicli 
had  been  shining  bright  in  the  early 
part  of  the  night,  had  gone  down,  and 
the  sky  was  overcast.  There  were  no 
lights  burning  in  the  street,  nor  were 
any  visible  in  any  of  the  houses.  The 
siege  had  extinguished  the  one,  and  the 
lateness  of  the  hour  had  extinguished 
the  other. 

Into  this  dark  street  Carrol  passed, 
bearing  his  burden.  Mrs.  Lovell  clung 
to  him  as  though  she  were  afraid  that 
something  might  Uill  occur  to  sejiarate 
them  ;  while  Carrol,  in  his  rapturous 
joy,  forgot  all  danger,  and  had  it  not 
been  for  his  sober,  practical,  and  matter- 
of-fact  guide,  would  have  wandered  at 
random,  carrying  his  burden  anywhere 
as  long  as  he  could  move.  I3ut  his 
sober,  matter-of-fact  guide  had  rr.acle 
other  preparations  so  as  to  complete 
their  escape,  and  thereby  make  his  own 
reward  the  more  sure. 

"  I  haf  a  cab,"  said  he.  "  Eet  ees  not 
far.  You  carre  de  lady  some  time  yet, 
but  not  mooch.  AH  araight.  De  next 
cornaire." 

By  this  Carrol  understood  that  his 
guide  had  given  to  his  own  performance 
a  completeness  that  made  it  positively 
artistic.  This  allusion  to  a  cab  at  once 
aroused  him  to  the  dangers  around  him 
and  the  excellence  of  the  cab  as  a 
means  of  escape  from  it. 

At  the  next  corner  they  found  a  calj 
standing.  The  guide  went  forward  and 
spoke  mysteriously  to  the  cabman. 
Then,  as  Carrol  came  up,  he  asked  him 
where  he  wanted  to  go.  Carrol  hesi- 
tated for  a  moment.  He  thought  of 
Mrs.  Lovell's  lodgings  ;  but  being  still 


J 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


117 


possessed  with  the  idea  that  danger 
niiglit  be  lurking  there,  and  anxious 
above  all  to  secure  the  safety  of  his 
dear  companion,  he  mentioned  tlie 
Hotel  du  Louvre.  His  idea  was  to 
drive  there  first,  and  on  the  following 
day  to  send  word  to  I\Irs.  Lovell  about 
the  safety  of  Maud. 

(living  this  brief  direction,  he  put 
down  his  precious  burden,  and  tenderly 
lifted  her  into  the  cab.  Then  he  fol- 
lowed himself.  The  door  was  shut. 
Tlie  guide  took  his  seat  beside  the 
driver,  and  the  cab  drove  off. 

Carrol  was  now  once  more  alone 
witli  his  dear  care.  Her  silence  and 
her  weakness  e.xcited  his  tenderest 
pity,  while  the  rapturous  thought  that 
he  had  achieved  her  deliverance  filled 
his  whole  soul.  He  flung  his  arms 
around  her,  and  drew  her  close  to  him 
and  lield  her  there.  Mrs.  Lovell  made 
no  resistance.  It  was  her  deliverer 
who  was  thus  lavishing  his  tenderness 
upon  her.  Her  heart  was  filled  with  a 
sense  of  his  devotion  to  her ;  and  he 
had  a  way  of  appropriating  her  which 
she  was  unable  and  unwilling  to  resist. 

TIuis  the  cab  drove  on,  and  the  two 
sat  there,  quite  silent,  each  lost  in  tlie 
tlioughts  that  were  most  natural  to  each 
mind.  It  was  a  moment  of  infinite  ten- 
derness, of  mutual  self-devotion,  of  soft 
and  tranquil  thoughts  of  bliss  ;  in 
short,  a  supreme  moment  that  only 
comes  but  once  in  a  whole  life. 

"  This  is  bliss  unspeakable,"  thought 
Carrol.  "  What  a  wonderful  life  I  have 
had  all  crowded  into  a  few  weeks ! 
The  most  unutterable  misery,  and  the 
most  exalted  happiness  ;  the  alterna- 
tions of  utter  despair  and  seraphic  joy. 
Now  the  darkness  is  lost  in  light,  and 
Maud  will  lose  the  recollection  of  the 
grief  that  I  have  caused  her  in  the  re- 
membrance of  the  joy  that  I  have  given 
her." 

These  were  the  thoughts  that  he  had 
as  he  held  her  to  his  heart. 

"  How  faithful  and  how  true  he  is  !  " 
thought  Mrs.  Lovell ;  "  and  what  a  heart 
must  I  have  had  to  have  played  so 
recklessly  witli  such  a  Glorious  Being  ! 
I  knew  he  would  come.    1  sat  there,  and 


waited,  and  I  knew  it.  And  he  came. 
15ut  how  it  was  tliat  he  could  have  ever 
managed  to  come,  is  something  that  I 
never  sliall  understand.  And  there 
never  was  such  another  man  in  all  the 
world.  O,  he  is  such  an  utter  —  "  A 
sigli  ended  the  unspoken  sentence. 

It  was  Carrol  who  first  broke  the  si- 
lence. 

He  thought  that  his  direction  to  go 
to  the  Hotel  du  Louvre  ought  to  be 
announced  to  his  companion.  He  had 
not  thought  of  it  since  he  gave  it.  He 
now  tliought  that  she  ought  to  know,  so 
as  to  have  some  idea  of  where  she  was. 
He  also  began  now  to  remember  the 
existence  of  Mrs.  Lovell,  and  tlie  idea 
occurred  to  him  that  some  measures 
ought  to  be  taken  as  soon  as  possible 
to  effect  a  communication  with  her,  so 
as  to  let  her  know  the  joyful  event  that 
had  occurred. 

Tliis  communication  was  destined  to 
be  effected  much  more  quickly  than  he 
had  supposed  to  be  possible.  With 
the  motive  that  had  just  been  explained, 
Carrol  gave  a  long  sigh,  that  was  elicited 
simply  and  solely  by  utter  happiness, 
and  then  for  the  first  time  began  to 
speak  aloud  and  in  his  ordinary  voice. 

"  Vou  know,  darling,"  said  he,  "  I 
ordered  the  driver  to  take  us  to  the 
Hotel  du  Louvre,  but  I  've  just  thought 
that  you  might  feel  anxious  about  your 
sister,  and  would  like  to  go  to  her 
first  to  let  her  know  about  your  safety. 
Do  you  feel  inclined  to  do  so,  or  are 
you  afraid  ? " 

At  the  first  sound  of  his  voice  thus 
audibly  expressed,  in  his  natural  tones, 
Mrs.  Lovell  gave  a  little  start,  and  then 
listened  witli  a  confused  expression. 
The  voice  did  not  seem  altogether  fa- 
miliar ;  slic  felt  puzzled.  The  thing 
alarmed  her ;  she  did  not  say  one 
word  for  some  few  moments.  But  as 
the  voice  ceased,  her  fears  died  out. 
She  began  to  tliink  that  her  brain  must 
be  affected.  Tlicse  wild  suspicions 
seemed  like  delirium  or  madness.  But 
the  arms  of  her  preserver  were  around 
her,  and  thus  reassured  her. 

"  O  dear,"  she  sighed,  "  I  really 
think  that  I  must  be  almost  insane  t 


. 


i 
I 

i 


ii8 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


\  5  ■ 


m 
'  til 


iifi4' 


i 


I  'm  not  quite  myself  yet,  I  suppose. 
O  yes,  do  let  us  first  go  and  see  Maudie  ! 
O,  I  want  to  see  poor,  poor  Maudie  !  I 
know  that  Maudie  will  be  frightened  al- 
most to  death  !  Poor,  poor  Maudie. 
O  yes,  let  us  drive  as  fast  as  possible 
to  Maudie ! " 

This  time  it  was  Carrol's  turn.  He  it 
was  who  gave  the  start.  The  sensa- 
tion was  his.  That  voice!  It  was 
not  the  voice  of  Maud.  Who  was  this 
that  spoke  of  "  Maudie  "  ?  What  did 
it  mean .'' 

Carrol's  blood  turned  cold  within  his 
veins,  a  shudder  passed  through  him, 
his  heart  stopped  beating,  his  nerves 
tingled,  his  tongue  cleaved  to  the  roof 
of  his  mouth,  and  finally  all  the  hairs 
of  his  head  simultaneously  and  quite 
spontaneously  rose  up  and  stood  on 
end. 

His  arms  relaxed.  He  made  an  ef- 
fort to  withdraw  them,  and  would  have 
done  so  had  he  not  been  almost  par- 
alyzed by  this  new  sensation. 

What  did  it  mean  ?  Who  could  it 
be  ?  Was  there  a  mistake,  or  was  he 
mad  ?  Had  the  Frenchman  taken  him 
to  the  wrong  woman  ?  What  a  fright- 
ful and  abhorrent  and  abominable 
idea  !  And  where  was  Maud  ?  And 
who  in  Heaven's  name  was  this  wo- 
man who  talked  about  "  Maudie"  ?  A 
mistake  ?  How  could  there  be  a  mis- 
take ?  He  would  not,  could  not  believe 
it.  But  there  must  be  a  mistake. 
Could  such  things  be  ? 

Mrs.  Lovell  noticed  the  shudder 
that  passed  through  her  companion, 
and  felt  his  arms  relax,  and  observed 
his  astonishing  silence.  She  wondered 
at  first,  and  then  grew  alarmed,  think- 
ing that  the  excitement  of  the  search, 
for  her,  and  the  long  anxiety,  and  the 
final  rescue  had  at  last  overcome  him. 

"  O,"  she  cried  in  intense  anxiety, 
"  what 's  the  matter  ?  You  seem  ill  ? 
Are  you  not  well  ?  O,  why  are  you  so 
silent  ?  Why  do  you  tremble  so  ? 
Why  do  you  shudder  ?  O,  you  are  ill  ? 
O  heavens  !  you  have  done  so  much 
for  me  tliat  you  are  sinking  under  it. 
And  O,  how  unhappy  I  am  !  And  O, 
what  can  I  do  ? " 


Tlie  sound  of  this  voice  was  enough 
for  Carrol.  There  could  no  longer  be 
any  possibility  of  doubt.  His  worst 
suspicions  were  confirmed.  The  terri- 
ble fact  appeared,  full  and  undeniable. 

It  teas  not  Maud  ! 

This  confirmation  of  his  worst  fears 
broke  the  spell  that  had  fallen  upon 
him.  He  tore  himself  aw.iy.  He  start- 
ed back,  and  in  a  wild  voice  that  was 
almost  a  yell  shouted  out,  "What's  all 
this  ?  Who  are  you  ?  What  do  you 
want  ? " 

This  act,  and  the  sound  of  his  voice, 
a  second  time  sent  a  cold  thrill  of  hor- 
ror through  Mrs.  Lovell.  She  recoiled 
with  a  repugnance  and  an  abhorrence  as 
strong  as  that  which  animated  Carrol, 
while  a  terror  more  dire  and  more 
dark  took  possession  of  her  soul,  quite 
overwhelming  her. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  she  said  in  a  low 
moan,  and  with  a  wail  of  anguish,  — 
the  utter  anguish  of  intensest  fear. 

"  O  great  Heaven  !  "  cried  Carrol 
with  an  anguish  as  deep  as  hers. 

"  Who  are  you  1 "  wailed  Mrs.  Lov- 
ell again,  in  the  last  extremity  of  her 
terror,  —  "  who  are  you  ?  O,  who  are 
you  ?  What  do  you  want  ?  O,  what 
do  you  want  ?  " 

Thesewailsofanguish  showed  plainly 
to  Carrol  that  this  woman,  whoever  slie 
was,  had  not  intended  todeceive  him,  but 
had  been  herself  deceived.  Strangely 
enough,  he  had  not  yet  thought  of  the 
truth ;  for  so  entirely  had  the  idea 
taken  possession  of  his  mind  thnt  it 
was  Maud  who  had  been  arrested,  and 
that  Mrs.  Lovell  was  safe  from  all  dan- 
ger, that  he  did  not  think  of  her.  As 
to  who  it  was  he  was  not  able  to  give  a 
thought,  so  confused,  so  bewildered, 
and  so  overwhelmed  was  he.  That 
poor  brain  of  his  had  been  sorely  tried 
for  many  eventful  weeks,  and  could 
not  now  be  expected  to  be  equal  to  the 
sudden  demand  that  was  made  upon 
its  overtasked  energies. 

He  had  but  one  thought,  that  of 
knowing  the  truth  at  once.  On  this 
he  acted  instantaneously. 

He  stopped  the  cab. 

He  tore  open  the  door. 


A  Comedy  of  Tenors. 


119 


He  jumped  out. 

He  told  Mrs.  Lovell  to  get  out. 

She  got  out. 

The  Frenchman  also  got  down  from 
the  box,  animated  by  the  one  idea  that 
had  now  become  his  ruling  motive, — 
the  idea  of  securing  his  pay. 

It  was  dark.  There  were  no  lights 
in  the  streets  or  in  the  houses,  Car- 
rol and  Mrs.  Lovell  remained  undis- 
tinguishable  to  one  another,  though 
each  stared  hard  at  the  other.  Carrol 
now  seemed  to  Mrs.  Lovell  to  be 
not  quite  so  tall  as  Grimes,  but  Carrol 
himself  could  make  nothing  out  of 
Mrs.  Lovell's  appearance. 

"  Who  are  you  .-' "  asked  Carrol,  at 
length,  in  an  excited  voice.  "  This  is 
all  a  terrible  mistake." 

At  this  question  Mrs.  Lovell  was  on 
the  point  of  mentioning  her  name  ;  but 
a  sudden  recollection  of  the  events  of 
her  escape,  the  mutual  endearments, 
and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  effectually 
deterred  her. 

"I  —  I  —  you  —  I  —  "  she  stam- 
r^ered,  "  that  is,  O  dear !  I  thought 
you  were  somebody  else.  I  thought 
you  were  Mr.  —  Mr.  —  Mr.  Grimes." 

"  Mr.  Grimes  !  " 

At  the  mention  of  that  name  a  flood 
of  light  poured  into  Carrol's  soul.  In 
a  moment  he  understood  it  all.  This 
lady  was  Mrs.  Lovell.  He  saw  the 
whole  truth.  Mrs.  Lovell  had  been 
arrested  also.  He  had  stumbled  upon 
her,  and  she  had  mistaken  him  for  Mr. 
Grimes.  About  the  naturalness  of 
such  a  mistake  he  did  not  stop  to 
think,  for  his  thoughts  were  turned  to 
his  own  affairs.  If  this  was  Mrs.  Lov- 
ell, where  was  Maud  ?  She  was  still 
in  prison  !  In  his  wild  excitement  he 
took  no  further  notice  of  Mrs.  Lovell, 
but  turned  furiously  upon  his  benefac- 
tor, the  Frenchman. 

"  This  is  the  wrong  lady,"  said  he, 
and  his  words  remained  fixed  in  Mrs. 
Lovell's  memory  afterwards  ;  "  where 
is  the  other  one  ?  " 

"  De  Oder  one  ?  " 

"  Yes,  the  other  lady." 

"  De  Oder  lady  1  Dere  is  no  oder 
lady." 


"  There  were  two  ladies  arrested  :  I 
want  the  other.  You  must  take  me 
back,  and  rescue  her,  or  I  swear  I 
won't  pay  you  anything  more.  I  swear 
I  '11  give  myself  up  again  and  inform 
about  you." 

"  Mon  Uieu  !  "  cried  the  other,  "  I 
say  dere  is  no  oder.  Dere  vas  only  one 
lady  took.  Dis  is  de  one.  De  oder 
lady  faint.  She  stay  in  de  house.  No 
one  touch  her.  You  go  to  de  house, 
and  ask.  She  dere  now,  eef  she  haf 
not  ron  away." 

"What  is  this?"  cried  Mrs.  Lovell, 
who  at  last  begun  herself  to  under- 
stand the  state  of  the  case.  "  You  are 
Mr.  Carrol,  are  you  not  ? " 

She  spoke  rather  coldly. 

"  I  am,"  said  Carrol  stiffly. 

Mrs.  Lovell  turned  to  the  French- 
man. 

"  The  other  lady  was  not  arrested,  I 
think  you  said  ? " 

"  No,  madame.  I  vas  back  to  de 
house,  she  vas  faint." 

"  Fainted  ?  Poor  darling  Maudie  !  " 
cried  Mrs.  Lovell,  who  now  became  ab- 
sorbed in  that  which  had  been  so  long 
the  chief  feeling  of  her  heart,  —  her 
love  for  her  sister,  —  "  poor  darling 
Maudie  !  O  Mr.  Carrol !  "  she  contin- 
ued, "  we  must  go  there  at  once  ;  she 
may  be  there  now  alone,  and  in  de- 
spair. O,  come !  I  must  go  there  at 
once." 

She  told  the  driver  her  address,  and 
hurried  back  into  the  cab. 

Mrs.  Lovell's  belief  in  the  French- 
man's information  changed  the  current 
of  Carrol's  thoughts.  He  now  saw 
that  Maud  had  not  been  arrested,  and 
that  Mrs.  Lovell  was  the  one.  He 
saw  that  the  only  course  left  was  to 
hasten  without  delay  to  the  lodgings  ; 
and  accordingly,  after  one  or  two  more 
questions  of  the  Frenchman,  he  reiter- 
ated Mrs.  Lovell's  directions  and  got 
back  into  the  cab  also. 

The  door  was  once  more  closed,  and 
again  the  cab  drove  off. 

The  very  same  people  now  occupied 
the  interior  of  the  cab  who  had  occupied 
it  a  short  time  before,  but  between  their 
former  relations  and  their  present  ones 


\ 


I20 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors, 


ii 


there  was  an  infinite  difTerencc.  In 
tliat  short  time  a  revelation  had  taken 
place  which  had  completely  revolution- 
ized their  mutual  attitudes  and  turned 
their  thouf^hts  into  a  totally  diflerent 
channel.  They  sat  now  as  far  as  pos- 
sible away  from  one  another.  They 
felt  an  unspeakable  mutual  repugnance 
and  repulsion,  and  by  the  intensity  of 
their  longing  after  the  absent  they 
measured  their  abhorrence  of  the  pres- 
ent. Not  a  word  was  spoken.  It  was 
a  situation  in  which  words  were  a 
mockery. 

Of  the  two,  Mrs.  Lovell's  case  was 
perhaps  the  worst.  The  thoughts  of 
Carrol  had  reference  to  one  alone,  but 
her  thoughts  vibrated  between  two  dif- 
ferent beings,  the  one  Mr.  Grimes, 
the  other  Alaud.  About  each  she  felt 
an  equal  anxiety.  What  had  become  of 
Mr.  Grimes  ?  How  did  it  happen  that 
this  man  Carrol,  —  a  man  for  whom  she 
never  had  felt  any  particular  respect, 
a  man  whose  influence  over  Maud 
only  excited  her  wonder,  —  how  did  it 
happen  that  a  man  like  this  should 
surpass  the  glorious  Grimes  in  daring 
and  in  devotion  ?  How  did  it  hap- 
pen that  he  should  have  penetrated  to 
her  dungeon,  while  glorious  Grimes 
had  stood  aloof .-'  It  was  a  thing  which 
she  found  inexplicable,  and  the  more 
she  thought  of  it  the  more  unable  she 
felt  to  account  for  it. 

In  the  midst  of  her  anxieties  she 
could  not  help  feeling  the  bitterest 
mortification  about  the  events  of  her 
escape.  First  of  all,  she  detested  this 
Carrol,  nor  could  the  thought  that  he 
had  saved  her  disarm  that  resentment. 
Secondly,  she  felt  a  resentment  against 
Grimes  for  the  deep  disappointment 
which  he  had  caused  her,  and  for  the 
horrible  mortification  to  which  his  de- 
linquency had  exposed  her.  The  only 
thing  which  at  this  moment  saved  poor 
Grimes  from  sinking  forever  into  the 
unfathomable  depths  of  contempt  in  her 
estimation  was  the  idea  that  he  also 
might  have  fallen  a  victim  to  the  ven- 
geance of  Du  Potiron. 

Carrol  drew  himself  back  as  far  as 
possible   into  one   corner  of  the  cab, 


shrinking  from  even  the  slightest  con- 
tact with  his  companion,  and  Mrs.  Lov- 
ell  did  the  same  witii  an  aversion  which 
was,  if  possible,  more  intense  and  per- 
sistent. And  yet  these  two  but  a  short 
time  before  had  been  clinging  to  one 
another  with  feelings  of  illimitable  ten- 
derness ! 

The  cab  drove  on  as  it  had  driven 
before,  and  at  length  reached  its  destina- 
tion. Carrol  flung  open  the  door  and 
sprang  out.  A  gentlemanly  instinct 
came  to  him  in  the  midst  of  his  excite- 
ment, and  he  turned  after  two  or  three 
steps,  with  the  intention  of  assisting 
Mrs.  Lovell  out.  The  magnanimous 
thought  occurred  to  him  that,  in  spite  of 
all  her  faults  and  offences,  she  was,  after 
all,  Maud's  sister.  But  .Mrs.  Lovell  took 
no  notice  of  him.  To  her  Carrol  was 
now  a  detestable  being, —  detestable, 
and  that  utterly.  She  quitted  the  cab 
unassisted,  and  hurried  toward  the 
house.     Carrol  hurried  there  also. 

The  aspect  of  the  house  struck  them 
as  being  strange  and  drear  and  suspi- 
cious. What  was  stranger  and  more 
suspicious  was  the  fixct  that  the  door 
was  wide  open.  Mrs.  Lovell  entered 
first.  The  concicrjic  was  gone.  The 
way  was  clear.  It  was  dark  inside, 
but  Mrs.  Lovell  knew  the  way  well 
enough  to  go  in  in  the  dark.  Carrol 
followed  her,  guided  by  the  sound  of 
her  footsteps,  and  keeping  as  close  to 
her  as  possible. 

On  reaching  the  door  of  her  apart- 
ments, Mrs.  Lovell  found  it  wide  open. 
All  was  still ;  she  faltered  for  a  moment 
upon  the  threshold,  as  a  terrible  appre- 
hension came  to  her  mind ;  then 
overcoming  this,  she  entered. 

She  said  not  a  word,  but  walked  on. 
The  door  leading  into  the  room  be- 
yond was  also  wide  open.  It  was  the 
ordinary  sitting-room,  and  beyond  this 
was  the  bedroom.  Mrs.  Lovell  walked 
on  with  a  quaking  heart  till  she 
reached  the  bedroom  door.  Then  she 
stopped,  quite  overcome.  Then  she 
called,  "  Maudie  !  " 

No  answer ! 

"Maudie!"  she  cried  again;  "are 
you  here  ? " 


^ 


T 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


121 


'are 


There  was  no  answer. 

Mrs.  Lovell  could  endure  her  sus 
pense  no  longer,  she  entered  the  room, 
and  passed  her  hand  over  the  bed. 
No  one  was  there.  Then  slic  lighted 
a  lamp.  The  room  was  empty.  Then 
taking  the  lamp  in  her  liancl,  she  came 
back  with  white  face  and  staring  eyes 
to  tlie  outer  apartment,  where  Carrol 
liad  been  waiting  in  a  state  of  inex- 
pressible anxiety. 

"Where  is  Maud  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  .She  is  not  here,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell, 
in  a  low  and  tremulous  voice  ;  "  and  I 
—  I  am  —  awfully  afraid." 

"  Let  us  search  the  house,"  said 
Carrol  in  a  hoarse  voice  ;  "she  maybe 
somewhere  about" 

With  these  words  he  took  the  lamp 
from  Mrs.  Lovell,  ar  d  the  two  walked 
away,  searching  for  Maud.  To  their 
consternation  they  found  all  the  rooms 
open.  Not  a  soul  was  to  be  seen  any- 
where. No  servants  were  to  be  found. 
All  had  gone.  ^L^damo  (luimarin  had 
gone  ;  and  as  for  ]\Iaud,  there  was  not 
the  slightest  sign  of  her. 


XXVI. 

AXXIOU.S   INQUIRIES. 

The  discovery  that  the  house  was 
absolutely  deserted,  and  left  thus 
with  all  the  doors  open  and  no  occu- 
pants, f  '.d  both  Mrs.  Lovell  and  Car- 
rol with  equal  terror.  They  went  all 
through  the  house  as  though  they 
still  conceived  it  possible  that  Maud 
might  lie  concealed  in  some  remote 
apartment.  Faint  indeed  was  their 
hope  as  they  thus  pursued  their  ex- 
amination, but  still  such  an  exam- 
ination was  not  so  bad  as  utter  and 
open  despair ;  and  so  they  continued 
it,  even  after  all  hope  of  finding  her 
here  had  left  them.  During  this  search 
there  was  not  the  slightest  thoughts  of 
their  own  safety  in  the  mind  of  either 
of  them.  So  engrossed  were  they  in 
their  anxiety  about  Maud,  that  the 
idea  of  personal  security  was  utterly 
forgotten,  and  they  kept  up  their  busi- 
ness of  exploring  the  house  just  as 


though  neither  of  them  had  ever  been 
arrested. 

13ut  Mrs.  Lovell,  while  she  thought 
about  Maud,  had  thoughts  also  of 
a  similar  nature  about  Grimes. 
With  her  fresh  remembrance  of  Du 
I'oliron's  threats,  and  also  of  Du 
I'otiron's  suffering-s,  she  could  not 
help  wondering  whether  he  had  not 
fallen  a  victim  to  that  vengeance. 
Against  him  Dii  Potiron  had  a  double 
cause  of  anger ;  for  in  the  first  place 
he  was  connected  with  her,  and  in  the 
second  place  he  had  done  an  unpar- 
donable wrong  in  the  personal  assault 
that  he  had  made.  All  these  thoughts 
came  to  her  as  she  searched  wearily, 
fearfully,  and  hopelessly  about  the 
house  ;  till  at  length  their  weight  op- 
pressed her.  She  could  not  endure 
them.  The  hopeless  search  grew  irk- 
some, and  finally  she  sat  down  in  the 
hall,  and  gave  herself  up  to  the  de- 
spairing thoughts  that  now  took  com- 
plete possession  of  her.  As  for  Carrol, 
his  state  of  mind  was  very  similar. 
The  resentment  which  he  had  felt 
against  iMrs.  Lovell  for  being  the  inno- 
cent cause  of  his  disappointment  had 
died  aw.ay,  and  the  one  feeling  left  in 
his  mind  was  that  of  inexpressible  anx- 
iety about  Maud.  In  this  feeling  the 
two  found  a  common  bond  of  union 
and  a  common  ground  of  sympathy,  so 
that  they  were  once  more  drawn  to- 
gether, in  spite  of  the  mutual  aversion 
which  recent  events  had  created. 

As  Mrs.  Lovell  thus  sank  despair- 
ingly into  her  seat,  Carrol  stood  in 
equal  despair  by  her  side,  and  for  a 
long  time  not  a  word  was  spoken  by 
either  of  them.  Of  the  two  Carrol  was 
the  first  to  rouse  himself. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  it  seems  to  me 
that  there  is  no  need  for  us  to  remain 
here  any  longer.  I  think  that  we  had 
better  do  something.  Will  you  allow 
nie  to  take  you  to  the  Hotel  du  Lou- 
vre, while  I  continue  the  search  else- 
where ? " 

"  Elsewhere  ? "  said  Mrs.  Lovell. 
"  What  do  you  mean  ?  Where  will  you 
look  ?  Have  you  any  idea  of  any  place 
where  information  can  be  gained  .''  " 


I' , 
i  ■ 


'■J. 


122 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


"  Well,  I  don't  know,"  said  Carrol. 
"  I  've  been  thinking  it  over,  and  it 
seems  to  me  that  I  ought  to  be  making 
a  general  search,  though  I  confess  I 
hardly  know  where.  My  idea  just  now 
is  to  take  you  back  to  the  Hotel  du 
Louvre,  and  then  start  off  and  try  and 
find  something,  —  whatever  I  could, — 
and  I  would  let  you  know  the  result  in 
the  morning." 

"It  is  of  course,  very  natural,"  said 
Mrs.  Lovell,  calmly,  "  that  you  should 
wish  to  get  rid  of  me,  but  I  assure  you 
that  you  shall  do  nothing  of  the  kind  : 
for,  in  the  first  place,  I  mean  to  con- 
tinue the  search  ;  in  the  second  place, 
I  shall  keep  this  cab  in  my  employ; 
and,  in  the  third  place,  I  shall  insist 
on  your  accompanying  me.  For  we 
have  the  same  object  in  view,  and  so 
it  seems  to  me  that  we  had  better 
pursue  it  together.  You  can  be  of  ser- 
vice to  me,  and  therefore  I  ask  you  to 
go  with  me.  If  you  refuse,  I  shall  have 
to  go  alone.  But  knowing  what  I  do 
of  your  relations  to  poor  dear  Maudie, 
I  do  not  anticipate  a  refusal." 

Upon  this  Carrol  assured  her  that 
his  only  thought  had  been  for  her  com- 
fort, and  that,  if  she  felt  inclined  to 
continue  the  search  for  Maud,  he  would 
of  course  go  with  her. 

"  Very  well,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell,  ■'  and 
now  I  will  tell  you  what  I  have  been 
thinking  of  since  I  came  to  this  house. 
It  is  —  a  —  Mr.  Grimes.  You  see  he 
was  to  come  here  to  meet  us,  to 
make  our  departure  together.  Now, 
you  know,  when  the  soldiers  came,  they 
came  to  arrest  inc.  M.  Du  Potiron 
threatened  that  and  that  only  ;  so  they 
came  and  took  vie.  They  took  you 
also,  and  I  think  the  reason  of  that 
was  that  you  were  mistaken  for  Mr. 
Grimes,  who  had,  no  doubt,  been  de- 
nounced along  with  me.  I  can  account 
for  your  arrest  in  no  other  way. 

"Well,  you  know,  poor  dear  Mau- 
die was  not  arrested  ;  for  this  man,  M. 
Du  Potiron,  you  know,  threatened  to 
have  me  arrested,  and  to  take  poor 
dear  Maudie  himself  He  may  have 
been  waiting  outside  for  my  arrest, 
and  have  taken  away  poor  dear  Mau- 


die at  once.  Or  he  may  have  del.iyed  ; 
and  this  gives  me  the  only  hope  I 
have.  It  is  this.  You  see,  Mr.  Grimes 
was  to  have  come  here  for  us  ;  well, 
you  know,  we  were  arrested.  Well,  it 
was  about  the  right  time  for  Mr. 
Grimes  to  come ;  and  if  poor  dear 
Maudie  was  not  taken  away,  Mr. 
Grimes  must  have  found  her  and 
learned  from  her  what  happened,  and 
then  taken  her  away.  So  the  only 
way  to  find  Maudie  is  to  search  after 
Mr.  Grimes." 

"  Well,"  said  Carrol,  "  there  seems 
to  be  something  in  what  you  say.  As 
to  Grimes,  I  don't  know  exactly  where 
to  look  for  him,  for  he  left  our  lodgings 
this  morning  for  good,  and  he  does  n't 
seem  to  me  the  kind  of  man  who  would 
go  quietly  back  there  to  sleep  when  he 
knew  his  friends  were  in  danger." 

"  No,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell,  in  a  decided 
voice,  "he  certainly  cannot  be  sleep- 
ing. He  is  awake  somewhere  and  try- 
ing to  help  —  to  help  —  us." 

"  Yes,"  said  Carrol,  "  that 's  a  fact ; 
and  so  it  seems  useless  to  hunt  him  up 
at  our  lodgings.  The  question  then 
remains,  where  can  we  find  him,  or 
where  can  we  find  out  about  him." 

Mrs.  Lovell  sat  thinking  now  for 
some  time.  At  last  she  spoke  again. 
"  Did  Mr.  Grimes  say  anytliing  to  you 
about  what  he  intended  to  do  to-day  ?" 

"  Well,  yes,  in  a  general  way.  He 
said  positively  that  he  was  not  com- 
ing back.  He  paid  his  bill  and  made 
some  arrangements  about  his  luggage, 
wliich  was  to  be  kept  at  the  house  till 
he  should  come  for  it  at  some  future 
time,  or  send  for  it.  Some  of  his  valu- 
ables I  know  he  had  taken  away  the 
day  before  and  left  with  M.  Nadar,  to' 
be  deposited  by  him  in  the  balloon  — " 

"  M.  Nadar  ? " 

"Yes.  M.  Nadar  was  to  put  this  in 
the  balloon  in  which  Mr.  Grimes  was 
to  go.  It  was  something  which  was 
very  light,  yet  very  important  to  Mr. 
Grimes." 

At  this  a  strange  thought  occurred 
to  Mrs.  Lovell,  a  strange  and  to  her  at 
that  moment  a  very  affecting  thought, 
opening  up  to  her  mind  once  more  a 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


123 


?" 


red 
rat 
;ht, 
|e  a 


fresh  insight  into  the  devotion  of 
Grimes,  and  disarming  to  a  great  ex- 
tent the  hostile  suspicions  that  liad 
begun  to  come  to  her. 

"  Wliat  is  that?"  she  asked  some- 
what anxiously;  "something,  did  you 
say,  that  Mr.  Grimes  had  intended 
to  take  with  him  in  the  balloon, — 
something,  did  you  say,  that  was  very 
light,  and  yet  very  important  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Carrol,  who  knew  per- 
fectly well  what  tliis  was  of  whicli  he 
spoke,  yet  did  not  like  to  mention 
either  the  thing  itself  or  his  knowledge 
ofittoMrs.  Lovell.  "  Yes,  something 
of  importance  to  him,  you  know,  that 
he  wished  to  take  with  him,  you  know, 
but  which  was  not  of  sufficient  weight, 
you  know,  to  make  any  difference  in  a 
balloon,  you  know." 

"  O  yes,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell,  in  an 
absent  way. 

"  Well,"  said  Carrol,  "  as  I  was  say- 
ing, he  had  taken  this  away  the  day 
before  to  M.  Nadar,  leaving  directions 
that  this  should  be  placed  in  his  bal- 
loon." 

"  In  his  balloon  ? "  repeated  Mrs. 
Lovell,  absently,  but  with  some  emo- 
tion. 

"  Yes,"  said  Carrol ;  "  that  is,  you 
know,  in  the  balloon  that  he  intended 
to  travel  by,  you  know." 

"  O  yes,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell. 

"  Well,"  said  Carrol,  "  and  so,  you 
know,,  he  left  this  morning  with  the  in- 
that  the  balloons 
You  see  he  had 
not  sufficient  confidence  in  ^L  Nadar, 
and  therefore  wanted  to  be  on  the 
spot   himself" 

"  And  so  you  think  he  went  there  ?  " 
said  Mrs.  Lovell,  with  some  anxiety. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  about  it,"  said 
Carrol.  "  I  know  he  went  there,  and  I 
know,  too,  that  he  must  have  spent  the 
whole  day  there  ;  for,  you  see,  he  felt 
that  the  whole  responsibility  of  this 
balloon  voyage  rested  upon  him,  and 
so,  you  see,  he  was,  very  naturally, 
quite  anxious  that  everything  should 
be  safe,  —  that  is,  as  safe  as  possible." 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Lovell,  "that  is 
what  he  must  have  done." 


tention   of    seeing 
were   made   ready 


"  Yes,"  chimed  in  Carrol,  "  he  must 
have  been  at  iSL  Nadar's  all  the  day, 
and  has  probably  come  here  in  the 
evening." 

"  And  in  that  case,"  said  Mrs.  Lov- 
ell, "  he  must  have  found  Maudie.  So 
you  see  it  only  proves  what  I  said, 
that  Mr.  Grimes  is  the  one  whom  we 
must  first  find.  It  seems  to  me  that 
the  best  thing  we  can  do  is  to  drive  to 
M.  Nadar's  and  make  inquiries." 

"  Yes,"  said  Carrol,  "  but  I  suppose 
we  may  as  well  drive  to  my  lodgings 
first,  for  it  is  just  possible  that  he  may 
be  there." 

To  this  Mrs.  Lovell  assented,  and 
the  two  were  soon  seated  in  the  cab 
again.  On  reaching  his  lodgings,  Car- 
rol waked  the  concierge  with  some 
difficulty,  and  learned  that  Grimes  had 
not  been  there  at  all ;  so  that  now  it 
only  remained  to  drive  to  M.  Nadar's. 

On  reaching  M.  Nadar's,  they  found 
all  dark  and  still,  and  only  obtained 
admission  with  extreme  trouble.  M. 
Nadar  appeared  after  some  delay,  and 
Carrol  made  known  his  business  as 
briefly  as  possible. 

^i.  Nadar's  information  was  full, 
complete,  and  final. 

First.  Monsieur  Grimes  had  not 
been  there  at  all  that  day. 

Secondly.  He  had  prepared  the  bal- 
loons according  to  promise,  depositing 
M.  Grimes's  little  package  in  his  bal- 
loon, with  other  necessaries,  and  had 
the  balloons  ready  in  the  Place  St. 
Pierre  at  the  appointed  time. 

Thirdly.  After  a  long  delay  M. 
Grimes  at  length  reached  the  place 
with  a  lady  who  had  fainted.  M.  Grimes 
was  very  anxious  to  resuscitate  her 
before  starting,  and  to  wait  for  his 
friends. 

Fourthly.  At  length  a  cab  appeared, 
which  they  supposed  to  be  M.  Grimes's 
friends.  M.  Nadar  told  him  the  lady 
would  recover  in  the  upper  air,  and 
asked  him  if  he  was  ready.  On  receiv- 
ing a  reply  in  the  affirmative,  M.  Nadar 
had  cast  off  the  lines. 

Fifthly.  But  the  cab  did  not  con- 
tain the  friends  of  M.  Grimes  ;  and  M. 
Nadar,  after  waiting  for  them  a  long 


kh 


'i' 


il!'!! 


124 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors, 


time,  had  packed  up  bis  balloon  and 
returned. 

M.  Nadar's  visitors  made  suitable 
acknowledgments  for  this  information, 
and  returned  to  the  cab  and  drove 
back  to  the  Hotel  du  Louvre. 

This  information  had  been  a  crush- 
ing blow  to  both.  Mrs.  Lovell  was 
speechless  with  indignation.  It  was 
bad  enough  that  she  should  have  suf- 
fered the  humiliation  of  this  disappoint- 
ment, that  her  trust  had  been  mocked 
and  her  holiest  and  tenderest  feelings 
outraged.  Bad  enough  this  was  ;  but 
to  find  that  this  had  been  done  with 
such  abominable  accompaniments,  and 
that  Grimes,  while  vowing  endless  de- 
votion to  her,  had  coolly,  calmly,  and 
quietly  taken  some  other  woman  with 
him  and  fled  with  her,  —  this  was,  in- 
deed, an  intolerable  insult  and  wrong. 

Who  was  this  fiiinting  lad;  about 
whom  he  had  been  so  anxious,  the 
one  for  whom  he  had  given  up  good 
faith,  and  truth,  and  honor,  and  all  that 
is  most  esteemed  by  high-minded  men  ? 
Who  was  she,  and  what  motive  could 
Grimes  have  possibly  had  in  devoting 
himself  to  herself,  if  another  held  so 
much  power  over  him  ?  To  think  of 
Grimes  as  a  gay  Lothario  was  absurd, 
yet  from  any  other  point  of  view  his 
conduct  was  most  inexplicable. 

While  Mrs.  Lovell  thus  suffered  the 
pangs  of  wrath  and  jealousy,  Carrol 
was  more  than  ever  disturbed  about 
Maud.  Her  disappearance  was  a  ter- 
rible blow.  He  did  not  know  where 
to  search  for  her,  or  what  to  do.  At 
length  his  thoughts  reverted  to  one 
fact  in  the  narrative  of  M.  Nadar,  and 
that  was  the  mention  of  the  lady  who 
had  fainted.  Grimes  had  taken  a  lady 
in  this  state  into  the  balloon,  and  Car- 
rol now  recollected  what  the  guide 
had  said  of  Maud.  She  too  had 
fainted.  Could  the  fainting  lady  of 
Grimes  be  Maud  ?  The  more  he 
thought  of  it,  the  more  probable  it 
seemed.  He  mentioned  his  suspicions 
to  Mrs.  Lovell. 

But  Mrs.  Lovell  scouted  the  idea. 

"Maudie!  Impossible!  What  would 
Mr.  Grimes  want  of  Maudie  ?  and  in 


a  fainting-fit  too  !  The  idea  is  ab- 
surd. V\  liy,  Mr.  Grimes  would  wait  till 
Maudie  recovered,  so  as  to  find  out 
what  had  happened.  No,"  concluded 
Mrs.  Lovell,  bitterly,  "it  was  some 
strange  lady." 

"  But  Grimes  didn't  know  any  ladies 
in  Paris  at  all,  except  you  and  —  and 
Miss  Ileathcote." 

Mrs.  Lovell  shook  her  head  obsti- 
nately, but  said  nothing. 

At  length  the  cab  stopped,  and  Car- 
rol (jnce  more  questioned  the  guide 
about  what  he  had  seen  in  the  house 
after  the  arrest. 

The  guide's  story  was  the  same  as 
before,  wiiiiout  any  alteration. 

To  Carrol  there  now  seemed  no 
doubt  about  it.  Grimes  must  have 
gone  to  the  house  and  found  Maud 
there.  He  must  have  taken  her,  not 
only  away  from  the  house,  but  into  f'C 
balloon.  Into  the  balloon!  and,  if  so, 
where  were  they  now  ?  Into  what 
peril  had  he  borne  her  in  his  wild 
flight?  What  did  he  mean  ?  It  seemed 
a  thing  so  terrible,  so  hazardous,  so 
frantic,  and  so  unintelligible,  that  Car- 
rol was  bewildered. 

He  dismissed  the  cabman  and  took 
Mrs.  Lovell  to  the  hotel.  But  for  nei- 
ther of  them  was  there  any  sleep. 
Mrs.  Lovell  in  her  drear  solitude  wailed 
for  her  lost  sister,  and  thought  with 
speechless  indignation  of  the  baseness 
of  the  man  in  whom  she  had  trusted. 
He  had  deceived  her,  he  had  broken 
his  faith  and  stained  his  honor.  He 
now  deserved  only  her  limitless  con- 
tempt. 

XXVII. 

IN   SPACE. 

As  the  word  was  given,  the  balloon 
shot  up  into  the  air,  and  ascended 
to  a  great  height.  For  this  was  one 
necessity  at  this  time  and  in  this  place, 
that  in  effecting  an  escape  from  Paris 
the  balloon  should  shoot  up  to  as  great 
a  height  as  possible,  so  as  to  be  out  of 
the  reach  of  Prussian  bullets.  By  day, 
of  course,  this  would  be  very  difficult ; 
but  by  night,  even  amid  moonlight,  it 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


125 


did  not  require  any  very  extraordinary 
elevation  to  render  a  balloon  indistinct 
or  even  invisible,  and  the  height  of  a 
mile  was  considered  sufficient. 

Grimes  was  looking  over  the  side  of 
the  balloon  when  lie  had  seen  the  cab 
coniinjj,  and  had  calleil  out  in  answer 
to  Nadar.  The  first  thing  that  lie  was 
conscious  of  after  this  was  the  aston- 
ishing movement  of  the  firm-set  earth 
from  beneath  him.  The  crowd  in  the 
place  below  fell  away  from  him,  leaving 
him  poised  in  space.  In  spite  of  the 
efforts  that  he  had  made  to  familiarize 
himself  with  the  practical  details  of 
aerostation,  there  was  an  inevitable 
novelty  connected  with  his  present  po- 
sition, which  fairly  made  his  brain  whirl, 
and  his  stout  frame  tingle  through  every 
fibre.  His  sensations  were  like  those 
which  Phaeton  may  have  had  when  he 
had  traversed  the  first  few  furlongs  of 
his  aerial  way,  or  like  those  which  some 
adventurous  yet  inexperienced  driver 
of  a  four-in-hand  may  have  when  he 
finds  that  his  team  is  bounding  away 
from  beneath  his  control. 

So  Grimes  folded  his  arms,  knit  his 
brows,  set  his  teeth,  drew  a  long  breath, 
and  then  looked  up.  Overhead  was  a 
network  of  rigging,  the  strands  that 
held  the  car  to  that  buoyant  mass  that 
raised  it  in  the  air,  while  beyond  this 
was  a  great  globe,  black  and  shadowy, 
whose  capacious  diniensions  seemed 
enlarged  to  tremendous  proportions, 
shutting  out  the  whole  sky.  It  shut 
out  that  infinite  expanse  into  which  it 
was  plunging,  and  the  sparkle  of  the 
stars  ;  and  though  its  shadow  was  not 
projected  into  the  car,  yet  the  black- 
ness of  the  great  overhanging  orb 
clothed  it  in  gloom  and  darkness. 

He  now  looked  into  the  car,  and 
turned  his  attention  to  those  duties 
that  immediately  demanded  his  care. 
Inside  this  car  there  were  bags  of  bal- 
last, and  two  bales  containing  news- 
papers, the  common  burden  of  every 
balloon  that  left  the  besieged  city. 
There  was  also  a  lacquered  tin  box 
with  the  name  of  Grimes  painted  on  it, 
—  a  box  of  no  particular  weight,  but 
which    showed,    from    the    care    with 


which  Grimes  handled  it,  that  it  cer- 
tainly possessed  in  his  estimation  a 
very  particular  value. 

All  this  time  the  lady  had  not  moved. 
Grimes  had  placed  her  in  a  sitting  pos- 
ture at  the  bottom  of  the  car,  with  her 
back  against  the  scat,  and  had  hastily 
flung  over  her  head  one  of  the  shawls 
which  M.  Nadar  had  put  in  the  balloon. 
The  moon  was  shining,  but  it  was  low 
down  in  the  sky,  so  that  the  inside  of 
the  car  was  in  shadow,  and  the  lady 
was  but  faintly  visible.  The  shawl 
also  that  had  been  thrown  over  her 
concealed  her  face  and  outline.  Grimes, 
in  turning  to  consider  his  duties, 
thought  first  of  all  of  her,  and,  stooping 
over  her,  he  felt  her  hands  and  her 
pulse.  She  was  still  senseless,  and 
Grimes  now  began  to  be  so  anxious 
about  her  that  the  recent  feeling  of 
awe  that  had  come  over  him  as  he  first 
bounded  into  space  gave  way  to  a  ten- 
der and  all-engrossing  care  for  the 
safety  and  recovery  of  the  loved  one. 

With  loving  hands  he  drew  back  the 
shawl  a  little  from  her  face.  That  face 
was  concealed  by  the  shadow  of  the 
side  of  the  car,  and  by  the  deeper 
shadow  of  the  overhanging  shawl,  so 
that  the  loved  features  were  not  very 
distinctly  revealed.  Grimes  held  his 
cheek  close  to  her  lips,  but  no  breath- 
ing, however  faint,  was  perceptible. 
He  began  to  feel  a  stronger  and  deep- 
er care,  and  to  regret  that  he  had  left 
Paris  without  first  having  her  restored 
to  sense.  He  sighed  heavily,  and  then 
kissed  with  infinite  tenderness  tlie  un- 
conscious being  who  was  so  dear  to 
him.  Then  with  gentle  hands  he  drew 
the  shawl  once  more  over  the  face,  so 
as  to  protect  her  from  the  night  air, 
ana  began  to  rub  and  chafe  the  hands. 

At  this  work  he  continued  for  what 
seemed  to  him  a  long  time,  quite  for- 
getful of  everything  but  the  work  upon 
which  he  was  engaged,  and  as  careless 
about  the  balloon  as  though  there  was 
an  aeronaut  with  him  attending  to  the 
navigation  of  the  aerial  craft.  But  his 
work  seemed  unavailing,  and  no  re- 
sponse of  any  kind  was  made,  nor  did 
any  favorable  signs  appear.    At  length 


126 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


tlic  thoughts  of  riHrnes  were  turned  to 
his  voyage.  To  him  it  now  seemed  as 
if  it  ougiit  to  be  almost  time  to  descend. 
How  long  lie  had  been  at  this  em[)Ioy- 
mcnt  he  did  not  know,  but  it  seemed 
long,  and  he  must  already  be  outside 
the  beleaguering  lines.  He  rose  up 
and  looked  out. 

To  his  surprise  he  was  just  passing 
over  the  suburbs  of  Paris.  The  vast 
extent  of  the  city  lay  in  the  distance. 
To  his  far  greater  surprise  the  land  be- 
neath him,  with  its  houses  and  trees 
and  fields,  was  sweeping  past  at  a  rate 
of  speed  which  seemed  tremendous. 
He  seemed  to  be  very  high  above  the 
earth,  and  he  could  only  account  for 
the  rate  of  speed  at  which  he  was  going 
on  the  ground  that  some  strong  wind 
had  arisen  since  he  left  the  city. 

To  his  disappointment  he  saw  that 
as  yet  he  could  not  descend.  For  be- 
neath him  he  saw  the  lines  of  the  forti- 
fications of  the  city,  and  beyond  these 
the  forts.  On  which  side  of  the  city  he 
was,  whether  north,  south,  east,  or 
west,  he  had  not  the  faintest  idea ;  and 
he  was  certainly  not  sufficiently  familiar 
with  the  environs  to  form  any  correct 
opinion,  even  had  he  been  closer  to  the 
ground.  At  that  height  there  was  a 
certain  indistinctness  in  the  outlines 
which  would  have  puzzled  even  a  na- 
tive of  the  city. 

As  Grimes  gazed  upon  the  scene,  he 
soon  saw  that  though  he  might  not  de- 
scend just  now,  yet  his  descent  could 
not  possibly  be  delayed  for  very  long. 
The  tremendous  rate  at  which  the 
earth  was  driving  past  him  would  soon 
sweep  away  from  under  him  all  these 
lines  of  battle,  the  forts,  the  fortifica- 
tions, and  the  armies  of  besieger  and 
besieged.  And  even  as  he  gazed  he 
saw  that  this  was  the  case.  For  there 
beneath  him,  faster  and  ever  faster,  the 
earth  fled  away ;  the  lines  of  the  be- 
sieged disappeared,  other  lines  came 
into  view,  and  arrays  of  flashing  lights 
and  blazing  fires.  Suddenly  a  loud  re- 
port like  a  gun-shot  sounded  almost 
immediately  beneath  him,  and  the 
sharp  quick  crack  had  in  it  something 
of  awful  menace.    What  if  he  were  be- 


ing  aimed  at .'  What  if  another  shot 
should  be  fired,  and  a  bullet  pierce  the 
black  orb  above  him  ?  The  danger 
was  altogether  too  terrific  to  be  slighted. 
Higlier  and  higher  still  he  must  go. 
IJcncath  was  the  hostile  country,  reach- 
ing for  an  unknown  distance,  and  in 
passing  over  this  he  would  be  liable 
incessantly  to  the  shots  of  the  enemy. 
He  might  be  on  the  thronged  track  of 
the  Prussian  Army ;  he  might  be  driv- 
ing east  toward  Germany.  For  the 
present  he  must  go  higher  and  higher. 
And  now  all  thoughts  of  a  speedy  de- 
scent left  him.  His  only  thought  was 
to  escape  from  this  immediate  danger, 
and  remain  up  as  high  and  as  long  as 
possible. 

Acting  upon  this  idea  he  grasped 
two  bags  of  ballast,  and  threw  them 
out  one  after  another.  He  then  looked 
down.  He  saw  a  perceptible  change. 
Individual  objects  beneath  him  grew 
far  fainter  and  far  more  hazy,  and  soon 
it  was  difficult  to  distinguish  anything 
at  all.  It  seemed  to  him  that  on  throw- 
ing out  that  ballast  he  had  shot  upward 
an  immeasurable  distance,  and  he  was 
filled  with  astonishment  at  the  exqui- 
site delicacy  of  sensibility  to  weight 
which  his  balloon  had  thus  manifested. 
He  also  was  conscious  of  a  slight 
pride,  for  this  had  been  the  first  attempt 
of  which  he  had  been  guilty  at  any- 
thing like  management  of  the  balloon, 
and  the  success  which  had  attended 
his  efforts  caused  a  glow  of  calm  self- 
satisfaction  to  pervade  his  being. 

The  moon  was  now  so  low  on  the 
horizon  that  it  was  beginning  to  sink 
behind  the  hills.  From  that  horizon  it 
shone  fiery  red,  and  clouds,  or  at  least 
haze,  seemed  to  accumulate  there.  Its 
red  rays  penetrated  the  sky,  and  threw 
themselves  upon  the  rigging,  and  upon 
the  great  orb  above,  making  it  seem 
like  some  satellite  as  it  thus  gleamed 
with  its  borrowed  robe  of  lurid  red. 
But  the  lurid  glow  did  not  long  endure. 
The  moon  sank  farther  and  farther, 
until  at  last  't  went  out  of  sight. 

Now  the  i.arkness  was  deeper,  and 
there  came  to  Grimes  a  sense  of  deso- 
lation.     The  departure  of  the   moon 


T 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


127 


seemed  like  the  loss  of  a  friend.  He 
looiicd  up,  and  tiicn  around,  anil  tlicii 
shook  his  head.  He  felt  now  tiiat  it 
was  intensely  cold,  anil  thouglit  that 
lie  had  gone  too  high.  liut  he  was 
afraid  to  descend  for  some  time  yet, 
and  so  he  concluded  to  endure  the  cold 
as  long  as  he  could.  Yet  the  intensity 
of  tlie  cold  roused  once  more  his  anxi- 
ety for  his  senseless  companion,  and  he 
stooped  down  with  the  intention  of 
throwing  over  her  some  additional 
wraps.  It  was  now  so  dark  inside  the 
car  that  nothing  could  be  seen,  but  as 
Grimes  stooped  he  heard  a  low  moan 
and  a  slight  movement.  At  this  a  thrill 
of  joy  passed  through  him.  She  had 
revived  at  last.  She  was  herself  at 
last ;  and  the  sudden  and  sharp  cold 
had,  no  doubt,  restored  her  to  con- 
sciousness. 

He  listened  again.  The  figure 
moved.  She  raised  herself,  and  the 
shawl  fell  back  from  her  face.  But  in 
the  deep  shadow  of  the  car  the  linea- 
ments of  her  face  were  not  at  all  dis- 
cernible, and  Grimes  saw  nothing  but 
a  certain  whiteness  in  the  place  where 
the  pale  face  was  upturned.  And  as 
he  looked  he  felt  a  thrill  of  infinite  pity 
and  tenderness  for  the  loved  one,  who 
now  seemed  so  utterly  dependent  upon 
him.  And  this  pity  was  all  the  deeper, 
and  this  tenderness  the  more  pure  and 
more  profound,  from  the  fact  of  their 
unparalleled  position.  Because  of  the 
silence  of  the  night,  and  the  majesty  of 
the  overhanging  heavens,  and  the  sub- 
lime solitude  of  the  skies,  and  the  far- 
reaching  infinitude  that  bordered  upon 
them,  —  for  these  and  other  reasons  she 
seemed  joined  to  him  by  the  unity  of  a 
lofty  fate,  and  by  the  imminence  of  a 
possible  danger,  which,  if  it  did  come, 
could  be  nothing  less  than  a  calamity 
of  tremendous  and  unspeakable  hor- 
ror. 

Grimes,  therefore,  was  profoundly 
moved.  He  knelt  down  close  beside 
her. 

She  looked  up,  and  said  nothing  for 
some  time. 

"  Where  am  I  ? "  she  asked  at  last 
in  a  voice  of  terror. 


"  With  me,"  said  Grimes  in  a  low 
voice  ;  and  as  he  said  this  he  twined  hi:i 
arms  about  her,  and,  drawing  her  gently 
tow.ird  him,  placed  her  head  soothingly 
and  tenderly  upon  his  breast,  and  laid 
his  hand  upon  it  as  a  mother  lays  her 
hand  upon  the  head  of  a  feverish  child. 

Thus  it  was  then  that  Maud  had  at 
length  struggled  up  out  of  senseless- 
ness and  back  to  consciousness.  Sense 
had  come  but  slowly,  and  when  she 
first  moved  she  felt  bewildered  ;  she  lay 
for  some  time  motionless,  trying  to 
collect  her  thoughts  and  recall  the  past. 
The  shawl  that  was  over  her  head  shut 
out  all  the  scene,  and  as  the  car  seemed 
motionless  to  one  within  it,  she  had  no 
other  idea  than  that  she  was  lying  in- 
side some  house.  Then  at  length  her 
memory  brought  back  the  events  that 
had  preceded  her  swoon,  and  a  shudder 
passed  through  her  as  she  thought  of 
them  all.  She  pushed  back  the  shawl, 
sat  up,  and  looked  around.  It  was 
quite  dark,  but  not  dark  enough  to  pre- 
vent her  from  seeing  the  outline  of  the 
balloon.  At  first  she  thought  that  she 
was  on  the  deck  of  a  ship,  for  there  was 
the  rigging,  and  the  orb  of  the  balloon 
looked  not  unlike  some  distended  sail. 
But  as  she  looked  longer  other  thoughts 
came,  and  the  scene  above  iier  resolved 
itself  slowly  into  what  it  really  was. 
Then  it  was  that  she  recollected  the 
project  of  her  flight  with  Carrol,  and 
wondering  how  it  had  happened,  and 
still  full  of  anguish  about  him,  she 
asked  her  mournful  question. 

And  the  answer  came,  in  a  low 
voice  of  love,  soft  and  tender  in  its 
intonation,  "  With  me."  And  then 
came  around  her  the  tender  clasp  of 
arms  encircling  her,  and  the  gentle 
touch  of  a  loving  hand  upon  her  head, 
as  though  that  touch  would  reassure 
her  and  drive  away  every  fear. 

"  With  me  "  :  these  words  were  like 
magic,  they  chased  away  every  fear, 
and  her  whole  being  thrilled  with 
joy.  She  forgot  where  she  was,  she 
thought  nothing  of  the  sight  that  had 
just  disclosed  itself  above  her,  she 
thought  only  of  those  murmured  words, 
and  of  the  fond  encircling  clasp,  and  of 


I, 


128 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


that  lieart  of  true  and  deathless  con- 
stancy against  whicli  lier  heail  leaned, 
whose  throbbings  she  could  hear. 

And  he  was  safe,  after  all !  He  had 
been  arrested,  but  he  had  escaped. 
He  had  sought  her  once  more,  and  had 
carried  her  otT  in  this  hurried  llight. 
Small  ditference  did  it  now  make  to 
her  how  she  was  flying,  or  whither  she 
was  flying,  so  long  as  she  was  with 
him, — now  while  she  felt  him  uphold- 
ing her  and  clinging  to  her  with  such 
foi.lness,  such  tenderness.  Small  need 
was  there  for  word".  The  tide  of  joy 
that  rushed  through  her  heart  took 
away  from  her  the  power  of  speech. 
But  she  had  no  occasion  to  speak.  Her 
thoughts  were  too  deep  for  words. 
This  was  joy  and  happiness  enough  to 
counterbalance  the  sorrow  of  the  past, 
and  he  who  had  caused  her  poor  heart 
such  grief  now  threw  all  that  grief  into 
forgetfulness  by  the  glory  of  the  pres- 
ent joy. 

And  Grimes  thought :  After  this 
I  'm  willing  to  die.  Life  has  nothing 
more  to  offer.  I  've  seen  its  ups  and 
downs  ;  have  been  at  the  deepest 
depths,  and  now  am  at  the  highest 
flight  of  human  bliss.  I  've  saved  her, 
—  I  've  saved  her  !  I  've  got  noth- 
ing more  now  to  hope  for  in  life  that 
can  begin  to  come  up  to  this  in  the 
way  of  pure,  unmitigated,  and  super- 
human glory ! 

And  Maud  thought :  How  sweet, 
how  sweet  it  is  !  Is  it  not  worth  while 
to  know  sorrow,  if  only  to  be  able  to 
experience  the  joy  that  may  be  felt 
when  that  sorrow  is  removed  ?  I  won- 
der if  there  is  any  danger.  Dange;  ? 
I  neither  know  nor  care.  I  am  willing 
to  meet  danger,  or  even  death,  so  long 
as  I  know  that  he  is  with  me.  I  could 
die  at  this  moment,  if  only  his  arms 
should  be  around  me. 

Grimes  was  not  altogether  neglectful 
of  practical  things,  in  spite  of  his  super- 
human rapture.  Jkit  these  practical 
thoughts  were  simply  variations  upon 
the  one  theme.  They  were  anxious 
desires  to  secure  the  comfort  of  his 
companion.  He  busied  himself  with 
arranging  the  wraps  about  her  so  as  to 


keep  her,  as  far  as  possible,  from  the 
cold  night  air.  To  all  these  acts  .Maud 
made  no  remark.  To  her  they  only  af- 
forded fresh  proofs  of  the  love  of  Car- 
rol, and  consequently  each  endearing 
act  only  aflbrded  her  a  fresh  delight. 

In  the  midst  of  her-great  happiness, 
however,  there  came  one  thought  that 
gave  her  a  passing  care.  It  was  the 
thought  of  Mrs.  Lovell.  What  h.ad  be- 
come of  her?  Was  she  safe?  This 
thought  created  a  sudden  agitation. 

She  removed  the  shawl  from  her  face, 
and  asked,  in  a  low  and  agitated  voice, 
"Oh! — my  sister!  —  is  she  —  is  she 
safe  ? " 

Grimes  bent  low  over  her  and  mur- 
mured, "  Yes,  darling,  safe." 

And  drawing  her  closer  to  him  he 
kissed  fervently  and  tremulously  the 
one  whom  he  so  fondly  loved,  press- 
ing his  lips  to  hers  again  and  again. 
]\Iaud  murmured  some  unintelligible 
words,  and  with  a  final  kiss,  long 
drawn,  rapturous,  and  never  to  be  for- 
gotten, Grimes  drew  once  more  the 
shawl  over  her  foce,  and  with  a  sigh  of 
ecstasy  restored  that  dear  head  to  its 
former  place. 

The  time  that  had  elapsed  had  not 
been  regarded  by  either.  It  seemed 
short,  but  it  may  have  been  hours. 
Grimes  wondered  about  this,  and  tried 
to  form  an  estimate  ;  he  could  not. 
He  now  cast  his  eyes  upward,  and  the 
sight  that  met  them  startled  him. 

The  sight  that  met  his  eyes  was  the 
sight  of  utter  nothingness.  It  was 
dark,  but  not  intense  darkness.  It 
seemed  rather  to  be  an  impenetrable 
and  intensely  gloomy  mist.  For  a  short 
distance  up  the  outlines  of  the  rigging 
were  slightly  perceptible,  and  then  they 
faded  out.  He  sat  motionless  and 
wondering;  and  now,  as  he  sat  and 
stared  up,  it  seemed  to  grow  darker 
and  dimmer  every  moment,  the  shad- 
ows growing  deeper,  the  obscurity  more 
profound,  the  gloom  more  terrible.  At 
last  nothing  at  all  could  be  seen,  not 
the  outlines  of  the  rigging,  not  even 
the  hand  before  his  face  ;  no  visible 
thing  remained  ;  nothing  was  left  but 
the  blackness  of  darkness. 


A  Cofnaiy  of  Terrors. 


129 


What  was  this  darkness  ?  What  was 
tlie  meaning  of  this  sudden,  this  terrific 
change  which  had  come  over  tlie  face 
of  the  sky  so  swiftly,  snatching  from 
view  all  that  could  yet  remain  to  con- 
nect them  with  the  lower  earth  ?  From 
what  arose  this  gloom  so  intense,  this 
inky  blackness  that  made  all  vision 
impossible  ?  Such  were  the  thouglus 
that  came  to  Grimes,  but  these  ques- 
tions he  was  unable  to  answer.  At 
first  there  was  a  vague  idea  in  his 
mind  that  he  bad  ascended  so  high 
that  he  had  reached  a  place  where  all 
light  failed  and  darkness  was  eternal ; 
but  this  passed,  and  others  came  equal- 
ly wild  and  equally  unsatisfactory.  Of 
all  this  Maud  was  perfectly  ignorant, 
for  the  wraps  that  covered  her  head 
shut  out  all  this  scene.  But  as  for 
Grimes,  his  surprise  deepened  into 
an.\iety,  and  his  anxiety  became  gradu- 
ally more  and  more  iniolerable,  until  at 
length  he  had  to  make  up  his  mind  to 
tear  himself  away  from  the  sweet  com- 
munion which  he  was  maintaining.  But 
he  wished  to  do  so  in  a  way  that  would 
not  create  any  alarm  in  the  mind  of  his 
companion.  How  to  do  this  was  very 
difficult,  but  it  had  to  be  done. 

So  he  murmured  a  few  words,  speak- 
ing in  a  low  voice,  for  the  darkness  and 
the  deep  drear  silence  produced  an 
overpowering  awe  and  hushed  his  voice 
to  solemn  tones.  He  therefore  said 
something  about  "  ropes  "  and  ','  the 
balloon, '  and  then  gent'-  untwining  his 
fond  encircling  grasp  he  tenderly  laid 
Maud  so  as  to  let  her  lean  against  the 
seat  in  her  old  position,  after  which  he 
rose  to  his  feet,  and,  standing  there, 
looked  forth  into  space. 


XXVIII. 

THE    SECRET    PI,.\CE  OF    THUN- 
DER. 

Out  of  the  mutual  endearments  of 
softest  tenderness,  out  of  the  ecstatic 
interchange  of  love  and  longing,  out  of 
the  silent,  voiceless  rapture  consequent 
upon  that  transition  which  had  taken 
place  from  profoundest  despair  to  lofti- 
9 


est  hope  and  most  perfect  happiness,  — 
out  of  all  this  a  rude  and  resistless  [)ow- 
cr  had  drawn  forth  the  started  and  now 
horror-stricken  Grimes.  He  rose  ;  he 
stood  at  the  side  of  the  car ;  and  his 
hands  clutched  the  side,  as  his  head 
thrust  itself  forth,  and  his  eyes  sou;;lit 
to  penetrate  what  was  before  him.  But 
that  which  was  before  his  eyes  was  a 
mockery  to  the  eye,  and  the  sense  of 
vision  struggled  in  vain  to  seize  upon 
something  that  might  yield  an  image, 
however  vague,  an  i.nprcssion,  however 
faint. 

So  stood  Grimes  and  looked  forth 
into  space.  But  his  eyes  encountered 
a  wide  waste,  a  drear  nothingness,  an 
impenetrable  gloom,  a  darkness  utter 
and  inconceivable.  It  was  the  abomi- 
nation of  desolation.  It  was  the  abysm 
of  the  uncreate,  the  chaos  of  formless 
matter  ;  a  void  direful,  abhorrent,  tre- 
mendous ;  a  void  \/here  the  darkness 
shut  out  all  the  light  of  hope,  and 
where  the  shadow  of  death  seemed  to 
rest  upon  all  beyond. 

Now,  had  there  been  the  fury  of  the 
storm  mingling  with  that  gloom,  or 
had  the  wrath  of  the  tempest  been 
manifest,  then  there  would  have  been 
something  to  mitigate  the  effect  of  that 
unparalleled  outlook  ;  for  then  there 
would  have  been  something  which  could 
appeal  to  some  sense,  and  in  the  beat- 
ing of  the  blast,  however  pitiless,  or  in 
the  howling  of  the  teinpest,  however 
wrathful,  there  would  have  been  some 
indication  of  the  presence  of  nature 
and  of  nature's  law.  But  here  no 
movement  arose  amid  the  deep  dark- 
ness, no  wind  swept  through  the  void, 
no  hurricane  ga'  >  forth  its  voice.  All 
was  emptiness,  motionless,  still.  It 
was  as  though  he  had  reached  the  vast 
realms-  where  chaos  only  rules,  and 
where  nature  is  unknown. 

Yet  in  the  midst  of  this  terrific  still- 
ness the  awe-struck  gazer  into  space 
became  at  length  conscious  of  sounds, 
and  it  was  with  something  like  relief 
that  he  detected  that  which  showed 
that,  though  sight  was  useless,  there 
still  remained  an  occupation  for  other 
senses.     It  was  a  sound,  distant,  low. 


iHiil 
!i;;HI 


I30 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


and  almost  undistinguishable  at  first, 
—  a  murmur,  so  faint  that  he  fancied, 
more  than  once,  that  it  might  be  the 
vibrations  of  the  nerve  within  him- 
self, rather  than  the  actual  waves  of 
sound  from  without.  But  the  persis- 
tency of  the  sound  and  its  gradual 
increase  showed  at  last  that  it  was  ex- 
ternal ;  and  as  he  listened  it  grew  with 
startling  rapidity,  until  at  last  it  as- 
sumed the  character  of  a  steady  sus- 
tained sound,  a  low,  distant  droning 
sound,  of  so  peculiar  a  nature  that  it 
was  quite  impossible  to  attribute  it  to 
anything  with  which  he  was  acquainted. 
This  then  was  the  only  thing  that  in- 
dicated the  existence  of  any  external 
world,  and  to  this  he  directed  all  his 
attention. 

Poised  in  mid-air,  away  from  the  solid 
earth,  severed  from  all  familiar  ties,  the 
force  of  the  wind  that  swept  along  was 
not  perceived.  All  was  stillness  and 
quiet  around,  but  the  stillness  and  the 
quiet  arose  from  nothing  like  the  calm 
of  nature.  Nature,  on  the  contrary,  was 
at  that  time  exerting  her  might,  and  all 
the  air  was  in  commotion  ;  but  the  bal- 
loon was  almost  like  the  air  itself,  and 
was  driven  before  the  blast  with  a 
speed  equal  to  that  of  the  blast.  So  it 
was  borne  upon  the  wings  of  the  wind, 
yet  for  that  very  reason  there  was  no 
wind  perceptible  to  him  who  sought  to 
penetrate  the  gloom  that  surrounded 
him.  Wind  and  tempest  are  only  pos- 
sible when  they  beat  upon  an  obstacle  ; 
the  balloon,  however,  was  no  obstacle, 
but  drove  along  equal  with  the  wind, 
with  the  tempest,  and  with  the  clouds. 

And  now  the  sound,  the  low,  dron- 
ing sound,  drew  nearer  and  nearer,  and 
grew  deeper  and  louder.  At  length  it 
grew  sufficiently  definite  in  its  tone  to 
assume  a  resemblance  to  things  that 
were  familiar,  and  to  Grimes,  as  he 
listened,  it  seemed  as  though  some 
mighty  wave  was  sweeping  toward 
him,  —  some  wave  like  the  first  of  those 
vast  surges  that  may  be  seen  and  heard 
as  they  sweep  up  the  empty  bed  of  the 
tidal  rivers  of  America  ;  it  seemed  thus 
like  a  rushing,  rolling  tide,  sweeping 
toward  him  with  tremendous  and  re- 


sistless violence.  It  seemed  also  like 
the  thunderous  sound  of  some  vast  cat- 
aract, like  the  distant  roar  of  Niagara, 
which  to  one  approaching  is  at  first  a 
low  drone,  then  a  louder  sound,  until 
at  last  the  full  thunder  of  the  waterfall 
is  apparent  to  the  ear.  So  to  Grimes 
there  came  this  ever-increasing  sound, 
which  grew  and  deepened  and  broad- 
ened, until  at  last  it  seemed  as  though 
beneath  him  and  all  around  him  there 
arose  the  sound  of  many  waters. 

He  had  no  reason  now  to  mourn 
over  the  absence  of  nature  and  of 
nature's  works  ;  for  these  sounds 
were  at  length  unmistakable,  and 
showed  that  it  was  no  empty  void,  no 
chaos,  that  he  was  traversing,  but  the 
earth  itself,  his  home,  with  its  alterna- 
tions of  land  and  sea.  And  now  he 
began  to  understand  what  was  really 
the  nature  of  that  sound.  Yes,  it  was 
the  sea,  and  nothing  else.  He  had 
been  swept  off  the  land  and  out  to  the 
sea.  Time  had  fled  rapidly  indeed, 
while  he  had  been  sitting  there,  lost  to 
all  thoughts  of  the  external  world  in 
the  flood  of  tenderness  and  love  ;  and 
thus  he  had  allowed  himself  to  be  borne 
to  where  escape  was  perhaps  impossi- 
ble. By  th  ;  short  time  that  had  elapsed 
since  first  lie  had  heard  the  sound,  he 
was  able  to  estimate  the  speed  of  his 
flight,  and  to  see  that,  instead  of  being 
poised  motionless  in  some  deep  calm, 
he  was  in  reality  in  the  grasp  of  a  ter- 
rible hurricane,  that  was  driving  him 
onward  with  tremendous  swiftness  in 
the  path  of  its  own  progress  ;  though 
where  that  path  might  lead  his  eyes 
failed  to  discern,  as  they  struggled 
vainly  to  penetrate  through  the  night, 
and  the  darkness,  and  the  enveloping 
clouds. 

The  sea ! 

That  was  now  the  one  thought  that 
he  possessed,  the  one  thought  that  en- 
grossed all  others. 

The  sea  !  what  sea  ? 

There  were  several  seas  around 
France.  Over  which  of  these  was  he 
now  driving  ?  South  was  the  Mediter- 
ranean. Was  it  indeed  possible  that 
time  enough  had  elapsed  to  allow  of 


i 


^^ 


W" 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors, 


131 


eyes 

gled 

iglit, 

oping 


ound 
as  he 
diter- 
that 
Dw  of 


his  being  carried  over  the  vast  distance 
that  separates  Paris  from  the  southern 
border  of  F" ranee  ?  He  could  not  be- 
lieve this.  Had  he  been  driving  north 
then,  and  was  this  the  Britisii  Channel  ? 
It  might  be  so.  Had  he  finally  been 
driven  west,  and  was  this  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  ?  That,  indeed,  was  a  thought 
of  horror>  yet  the  thing  was  only  too 
possible.  It  seemed  to  him  now  that 
he  must  be  over  either  the  British 
Channel  or  else  the  ocean  itself.  Of 
these  alternatives  the  latter  meant  utter 
ruin  and  despair ;  but  the  former  left 
some  room  for  hope  and  even  consola- 
tion. To  be  hovering  now  over  the  At- 
lantic, to  be  sweeping  helplessly  away 
over  its  boundless  expanse,  driving  off 
to  the  endless  west  over  an  endless  sea, 
all  this  had  such  terrific  meaning  that  it 
could  not  be  entertained  by  the  mind. 
He  rather  clung  to  hope.  He  chose 
rather  to  think  that  it  was  the  narrower 
sea,  and  to  hope  that  beyond  the  roar- 
ing of  these  waters  and  the  rush  of 
these  waves  there  lay  a  land  like  that 
which  he  had  left  behind,  where  it 
might  be  possible  to  find  an  escape  at 
last.  Yet  even  if  land  should  arise 
beyond  the  waters,  could  he  now  hope 
for  escape  ?  How  could  he  descend  in 
this  storm?  In  what  way  could  he 
hope  to  reach  the  solid  earth,  and  not 
be  dashed  to  pieces  ?  To  this  he  was 
unable  to  furnish  any  answer,  and  from 
the  darkness  and  from  the  roaring  sea 
there  came  no  reply. 

Meanwhile  Maud  had  been  reclining 
at  the  bottom  of  the  car  in  the  position 
in  which  Grimes  had  left  her,  leaning 
in  as  easy  a  position  as  possible  against 
the  side,  and  waiting  to  see  what  was 
to  be  done.  The  shawl  which  he  had 
wrapped  around  her  still  .covered  her 
face,  protecting  her  from  the  cold  and 
from  the  damp.  To  her  the  balloon 
seemed  motionless.  To  her  the  bal- 
loon did  not  avail  to  distract  her 
thoughts  from  other  subjects  which 
now  occupied  her  mind.  For  she  was 
thinking  of  Carrol,  of  the  misunder- 
standing that  had  arisen  between  them, 
of  the  dark  alienation  that  had  arisen, 
of  the  separation  and  astonishing  meet- 


ing on  board  the  steamer,  of  his  appar- 
ent aversion,  of  their  lives  apart,  of 
their  chance  meeting  and  their  final 
explanation  and  understanding.  Above 
all  she  thought  of  this  last  incident  in 
their  mutual  history,  so  w  erful,  so 
unaccountable.  She  had  seen  him  ar- 
rested ;  she  had  fallen  to  the  floor, 
in  her  despair,  senseless.  She  had 
been  long  unconscious,  but  had  finally 
awaked  to  find  herself  with  him,  alone 
with  him,  out  of  the  world,  in  the 
realms  of  the  upper  air. 

She  recalled  every  incident  of  that 
awakening.  She  thought  how  he  had 
been  roused  by  her  movement  and 
had  come  to  her.  She  recalled  his 
words  of"  tenderness,  his  acts  of  devo- 
tion, his  deep  and  all-absorbing  love. 
His  arms  had  been  round  her;  she  had 
reclined  upon  him  ;  she  had  listened 
to  his  murmured  words  of  love  ;  she 
had  felt  his  kisses  upon  her  lips.  What 
happiness,  what  bliss  had  been  hers  ! 
What  an  ending  was  this  to  the  sorrow 
that  she  had  known  !  Such  tender  rec- 
ollections as  these  were  indeed  over- 
powering, and  it  seemed  to  her  that 
such  happiness  must  be  a  dream. 

And  now,  as  she  no  longer  felt  his 
encircling  arms,  she  began  to  feel  a 
sense  of  loneliness.  Where  was  he.'' 
Where  had  he  gone  ?  Why  was  he  so 
silent  ?  What  was  he  doing  ?  He  had 
gone  to  arrange  something  connected 
with  the  balloon.  What  was  his  task  ? 
He  made  no  sound.  What  had  be- 
come of  him  ?  The  deep  silence  be- 
came oppressive,  and  at  length  she 
became  conscious  of  a  low  deep  moan 
that  seemed  to  sound  from  beneath 
her.  To  this  she  listened  for  some 
time,  until  at  length  she  could  endure 
it  no  longer,  and  began  to  feel  uneasy 
at  the  silence.  She  felt  deserted,  and 
a  wild  fear  of  danger  arose. 

She  started  up  and  groped  around 
with  her  hands.  The  car  was  not 
large,  and  in  the  darkness  her  hands 
touched  Gri:-nes,  who  was  unable  to 
repress  a  start  and  an  exclamation 
of  surprise.  Rut  the  touch  of  her  hand 
at  once  aroused  him  from  tlie  gloomy 
thoughts  in  which  he  had  been  indul- 


l. 


132 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


ging,  and  reawakened  those  tenderer 
emotions  which  for  a  short  time  had 
been  forgotten.  He  drew  her  close  to 
him,  and,  encirchng  her  fondly  with  one 
arm,  with  the  other  hand  he  proceed- 
ed very  anxiously  and  carefully  to  ar- 
range the  shawl  about  her  head.  He 
said  nothing,  however,  for  the  solemn 
sense  of  peril  was  still  uppermost  in 
his  mind,  and  he  felt  that  if  he  spoke  he 
would  inevitably  speak  of  this.  But 
he  wished  to  spare  his  dear  love  as  far 
as  possible  all  pain,  all  knowledge  of 
danger ;  and  he  hoped  yet  that  the  dan- 
ger might  be  passed,  and  that  she 
might  reach  the  land  so  pleasantly  that 
no  thought  of  the  terrors  of  the  journey 
should  ever  come  to  her  mind.  And 
so  it  was  that  Grimes  held  his  tongue, 
and  contented  himself  with  acts  of  ten- 
der carefulness. 

And  now  Maud,  as  she  stood  there, 
looked  forth  and  saw  that  darkness 
and  that  gloom  which  had  so  impressed 
the  stout  heart  of  Grimes.  It  did  not 
affect  her  so  strongly,  for  she  felt 
around  her  the  arms  of  the  man  whom 
she  loved ;  and  in  his  encircling  clasp 
there  was  a  sweet  sense  of  protection 
and  of  security.  And  so  it  was  that 
her  emotions  at  the  scene  before  her 
were  rather  those  of  wonder  and  per- 
plexity than  actual  terror.  But,  the 
longer  she  looked,  the  more  did  the 
idea  of  utter  and  intense  darkness  op- 
press her ;  and  her  sense  of  security 
grew  gradually  weaker,  and  there  came 
over  her  the  sense  of  awe.  Beneath 
her  she  again  heard,  and  this  time  far 
more  impressively  than  before,  the 
droning  cadence  of  the  waves  ;  the 
sound  of  many  waters,  which,  penetrat- 
ing thus  through  the  gloom  to  her 
ears,  carried  a  certain  dismal  warning 
that  awakened  strange  fears  within  her 
soul.  She  clung  closer  to  Grimes. 
Her  heart  throbbed  painfully,  and  at 
last  even  his  protecting  arms  could  not 
altogether  repel  the  assault  of  the  ad- 
vancing terror. 

"  O,  I  'm  afraid  !  "  she  moaned. 
"  I  'm  so  afraid  !  " 

Grimes  said  nothing.  He  pressed 
her    closer  to  his  heart.      His  hand 


wandered  over  her  shawl,  as  thougli  by 
thus  ministering  to  her  comfort  lie 
might  secure  her  safety.  His  silence 
increased  her  fears.  She  shuddered. 
The  darkness  was  around  her,  impene- 
trable, mysterious,  dreadful  ;  and  tlie 
chill  environment  of  the  storm-clouds, 
and  the  dismal  drone  of  distant  sens, 
and  the  frailness  of  this  aerial  bark 
that  thus  held  them  suspended  as  they 
drifted  through  the  air,  all  combined  to 
weaken  her  confidence  and  to  increase 
her  terror. 

"  O,  I  'm  afraid  !  "  she  murmured 
once  again.  "  What  will  become  of 
us  ?"  And  with  a  shudder  she  clung 
more  closely  to  Grimes. 

Now  Grimes  himself  had  been  so 
overawed  by  the  solemn  presence  of 
night  and  storm  and  darkness  and 
the  shadow  of  death,  and  he  had  ex- 
perienced such  direful  emotions  at  the 
thought  of  that  angry  ocean  that  lay 
roaring  beneath  ready  to  ingulf  them, 
that  he  had  no  words  of  consolation  to 
offer,  and  nothing  to  say  that  might 
disarm  the  fears  of  another.  He  did 
not  wish  her  to  share  his  anxiety  ;  but 
since  she  had  gazed  with  her  own  eyes 
upon  the  terrors  of  the  scene,  he  had 
nothing  to  offer  by  which  those  terrors 
could  be  disarmed.  He  could  only 
follow  the  natural  impulse  of  his  heart, 
and  clasp  her  closer  to  him,  and  say  to 
her  in  low  and  loving  tones,  "  O  my 
darling !  don't  be  afraid,  /'m  with 
you." 

And  at  the  sound  of  these  low  words 

of  love  Maud  felt  her  fears  lessen  per- 

.ceptibly  ;  and  as  "  perfect  love  casteth 

out  fear,"  so  now  she   rested  on  that 

love,  and  her  fears  faded  away. 

"  Sit  down  again,  darling,"  mur- 
mured Grimes  ;   "  I  have  to  watcli." 

"  Yes,"  sighed  Maud,  "  I  forgot.  I  '11 
try  to  be  patient."  And  with  these 
words  she  sat  down  in  her  former  po- 
sition at  the  bottom  of  the  car.  Grimes 
stooped  over  her,  and  arranged  the 
wraps  about  her  so  as  to  secure  her  as 
far  as  possible  from  the  cold  of  these 
upper  regions,  and  from  the  chill  of  the 
clouds  that  enveloped  them.  But  even 
as  he  bent  over  her,  intent  upon  this 


r 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


133 


loving  care,  there  came  to  his  ears  the 
dull  roar  of  the  waves  below,  and  the 
sound  served  to  remind  him  of  the  ter- 
rible position  in  which  they  were. 

Once  more  Grimes  arose  to  confront 
the  peril  of  his  situation,  and  to  plan 
in  his  own  mind  some  way  of  escape. 
Escape  ?     How  was  it  possible  ? 

Shall  I  descend  ?  thought  he. 

Descend  ? 

But  why  should  he  descend  ?  What 
was  it  that  lay  beneath  him  ?  Was  it 
the  ocean  or  the  channel .'  This  was 
the  question,  and  how  could  he  find  any 
answer  to  that  question  .'  Was  it  the 
ocean  or  the  channel  ?  If  the  one,  he 
was  lost,  and  all  his  bright  hopes  shat- 
tered, and  the  blessed  future  torn  for- 
ever away  from  his  grasp  ;  if  the  other, 
there  was  a  chance,  faint  indeed,  but 
still  a  chance  of  escape.  Was  it  the 
ocean  or  the  channel?  Terrible  ques- 
tion !     Unanswerable  problem  ! 

Shall  I  pull  the  valve-string  and  de- 
scend ? 

Descend?  Where?  Why?  De- 
scend ?  Why  descend  ?  To  what 
place  ?  For  what  purpose  ?  Descend  ? 
Why,  in  any  case  a  descent  now  could 
only  mean  a  fall  into  the  sea,  and  that 
sea  just  now,  just  here,  even  if  it 
shoula  happen  to  be  the  channel,  could 
only  serve  one  purpose,  and  that  would 
be  to  ingulf  them.  To  descend  now, 
by  night,  in  this  darkness,  in  the  midst 
of  this  wind  that  was  driving  them 
along  with  such  speed,  would  be  sim- 
ple madness.  It  would  be  to  tempt 
fate.  It  would  be  to  court  immediately 
a  doom  that  by  waiting  longer  might 
be  averted,  or  at  least  delayed.  De- 
scend ?  No,  the  thought  could  not  be 
entertained. 

What  then  ?     Should  he  ascend  ? 

This  was  a  different  thin'raltosrether. 
It  was  a  bolder  question.  A  question, 
indeed,  so  bold  that  he  might  well 
pause  before  he  decided  upon  adopting 
such  a  course.  To  descend  was  death  ; 
but  to  ascend,  what  was  that?  Was 
it  death  or  safety  ? 

Such  were  the  thoughts  that  agitated 
the  soul  of  Grimes. 

And  all  the  while    there  came  up 


from  below  the  voice  of  the  sea,  the 
deep  drone  of  the  rolling  billows,  the 
noise  of  many  waters,  coming  up  thus 
to  his  ears  through  the  gloom,  and  never 
ceasing  to  remind  him  of  the  peril  of 
the  hour,  and  of  the  fate  that  lay  in 
wait  for  him  —  and  for  her. 

Had  the  balloon  kept  the  same  alti- 
tude, or  had  it  been  gradually  descend- 
ing ?  This  thought  came  to  him.  He 
put  his  head  over  the  side  of  the  car 
and  listened.  There  came  to  his  ears 
the  same  drone  of  the  waves,  but 
whether  he  had  descended  lower  or  not 
he  could  not  tell.  For  a  long  time  now, 
as  it  seemed,  though  how  long  he  could 
not  tell,  that  sound  had  come  forth 
from  below ;  but  though  any  exact  es- 
timate of  his  distance  from  the  earth  was 
impossible,  yet  the  sound  seemed  near 
enough  to  suggest  the  propriety  of 
putting  a  greater  distance  between  him 
and  it ;  and  so  as  he  arose  once  more 
to  his  former  position,  and  asked  him- 
self the  question.  Shall  I  ascend  ? 
the  noise  of  the  waters  below  gave 
forth  an  answer  that  had  an  unmistak- 
able meaning. 

That  meaning  which  he  understood 
was.  Ascend  !  Avoid  us  !  Keep 
away,  as  far  as  possible,  from  our 
pitiless  wrath  ! 

y\.nd  now  as  he  finally  asked  himself 
the  question.  Shall  I  ascend  ?  he  an- 
swered. Yes,  I  must  ascend.  I  will 
throw  out  more  ballast.  I  will  put  a 
wider  interval  between  me  and  the  sea 
that  menaces  us  so  pitilessly. 

Meanwhile  Maud  sai  at  the  bottom 
of  the  car,  listening  and  thinking, 
listening  to  the  roar  of  the  waves, 
thinking  of  Carrol.  It  seemed  strange 
indeed  to  her,  that,  after  their  prolonged 
sorrow,  they  should  be  joined  again, 
stranger  still  that  they  should  be  joined 
under  such  circumstances,  but  most 
strange  and  at  the  same  time  most 
sad,  that,  being  thus  joined,  they  should 
still  be  exposed  to  that  merciless  fate 
which,  like  a  Nemesis,  seemed  ever 
to  pursue  them.  For  ever  amid  her 
meditations  there  came  the  sound  of 
the  waves  of  the  sea,  and  that  sound 
now  signified  to  her  mind  nothing  less 


m 


134 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


than  renewed  disaster,  and  perhaps 
complete  destruction.  It  seemed  as 
though  tiie  fate  that  had  thus  far  pur- 
sued them  was  not  yet  wearied  out, 
but  was  still  following  them  with  un- 
changed hostility  and  sleepless  per- 
tinacity. 

The  cold  of  the  upper  air  and  the 
chill  of  the  enveloping  clouds  atVect- 
ed  her,  and  she  felt  them  through 
the  shawls  which  were  gathered  about 
her ;  yet  the  chill  grasp  of  the  hand  of 
Night  was  robbed  of  half  its  power  by 
the  hot  and  feverish  influence  of  the 
thoughts  that  passed  through  her  mind. 
Where  were  they  going?  What  were 
they  doing  ?  Carrol  had  madly  carried 
her  off  in  the  balloon  ;  but  did  he  un- 
derstand the  balloon,  and  did  he  know 
what  was  to  be  done  in  the  dire  emer- 
gency in  which  they  now  found  them- 
selves ?  Did  he  even  understand  the 
management  of  a  balloon  under  or- 
dinary circumstances  ?  Understand  ! 
How  could  he  ?  Had  he  ever  been  in 
a  balloon  before  ?  To  manage  a  bal- 
loon required  experience  ;  and  what 
experience  had  Carrol  ever  been  able  to 
gain  ?  And  what  was  he  doing  now  .' 
or  what  was  he  thinking  of  as  he  stood 
up  there  aloof  from  her,  striving  to  see 
into  the  darkness  ?  She  began  to  un- 
derstand that  he  was  puzzled  and  be- 
wildered, and  that  he  was  trying  to 
think  of  some  way  of  effecting  their 
escape.  The  thought  filled  her  heart 
with  despair,  and  as  she  considered 
his  inexperience  and  ignorance  the  last 
hope  of  escape  died  out. 

Shall  I  ascend  or  not  ? 

Such  was  the  thought  of  Grimes. 

And  now  with  inconceivable  ab- 
ruptness, bursting  into  the  midst  of 
the  night,  dashing  all  the  dark  aside 
and  transforming  in  one  moment  all 
that  impenetrable  blackness  to  one 
universal  glow  of  fiery  red,  there  came 
a  sudden  flash,  coming  from  no  one 
direction,  but  flaming  everywhere  for 
a  moment,  and  then  dying  out  utterly. 
And  then,  before  Grimes  could  collect 
his  thoughts  that  had  been  scattered 
and  dissipated  by  the  shock  of  that 
lurid  flash,  there  followed  a  long,  deep 


thunder-peal,  that  rolled  and  rumbled 
all  around  them,  and  went  volleying  on 
through  all  the  heavens  in  long  rever- 
berations. 

Grimes  stood  motionless  until  tlic 
last  peal  of  the  long- reverberating 
thunder  had  died  away  in  the  distance. 
Then,  at  length,  he  knew  what  he  was 
to  do.  In  that  long,  deep,  wratiiful 
thunder-volley  he  had  heard  the  an- 
swer to  his  question.  From  that  an- 
swer there  was  no  appeal.  It  sent 
forth  to  his  ears  a  voice,  menacing, 
gloomy,  terrific,  and  even  the  stout 
heart  of  Grimes  shrank  back  from  the 
terrors  of  its  presence.  From  this  his 
one  thought  was  now  to  fly  ;  and  he 
stooped  down  hastily  and  snatched  at 
several  of  the  ballast-bags,  and  hurled 
them  out  one  after  another. 

Maud  had  not  seen  the  red  flash,  for 
her  head  was  infolded  by  the  shawl ; 
but  she  had  heard  the  terrible  thunder- 
peal. As  its  first  low,  rising  sound 
came  to  her- ears,  she  thought  it  was 
the  surf  beating  upon  some  rocky  shore 
upon  which  they  were  driving.  Every 
nerve  thrilled  with  horror ;  and  she 
drew  herself  up  with  that  instinctive 
movement  by  vvliich  one  tries  to  pre- 
pare himself  for  some  inevitable  col- 
lision. But  the  collision  did  not  come  ; 
and  the  sound  deepened  into  grander 
volume  till  the  thunder-peal  made  it- 
self manifest  to  her.  Yet  this  discov- 
ery lessened  her  horror  not  one  whit. 
As  well,  she  thought,  might  they  be 
driving  against  the  pitiless  cliffs  of  an 
iron-bound  shore,  as  to  be  up  here  in 
this  place  of  terror,  among  the  wither- 
ing lightning-flashes,  in  the  secret  place 
of  thunder.  She  was  aware  of  Grimes's 
exertions,  though  she  did  not  know 
what  he  was  doing,  and  she  felt  the 
car  oscillate  beneath  his  movements. 

She  removed  the  shawl  and  looked 
up  with  a  shudder  of  terrible  apprehen- 
sion, with  the  fear  of  one  who  expected 
to  see  Death  itself.  She  said  not  a 
word.  She  looked,  with  all  her  being 
in  her  eyes. 

And  as  she  looked  the  gloomy  folds 
of  night  and  cloud  and  darkness  that 
so  long  had  environed  them  lessened 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


135 


perceptibly.  There  cnnie  before  lier 
sight  the  dim  outline  of  her  compan- 
ion, and  the  ropes  of  the  rigging  and 
the  network,  and  the  dark  figure  of 
the  overhanging  orb. 

All  these  grew  less  shadowy  and 
more  substantial  every  moment,  until 
at  length  something  like  the  actual 
forms  of  tangible  things  could  be  seen, 
though  as  yet  the  gloom  of  night  kept 
them  indistinct.  But  beyond  this  her 
eyes  saw  a  place  where  the  gloom  of 
night  came  not ;  for,  looking  over  the 
edge  of  the  car,  her  gaze  wandered  far 
away  into  distant  space,  and  there  from 
that  remote  infinity  there  shone  full 
before  her  a  clear,  tranquil  star.  In 
its  calm,  cold  ray  her  excited,  feverish 
spirit  seemed  to  sink  to  rest  and  quiet ; 
and  the  light  of  the  star  showed  her 
that  the  horror  of  great  darkness  had 
passed. 

XXIX. 

OVER  THE  CLOUDS  AND  OVER 
THE  SEA. 

Thus  by  throwing  out  that  ballast 
the  balloon  had  been  elevated  beyond 
the  region  of  the  storm  into  one  of 
calm,  or  at  least  to  one  where  the 
clouds  did  not  follow.  Grimes  once 
more  felt  a  momentary  thrill  of  self- 
complacency  at  this  second  proof  of 
his  power  to  navigate  the  machine, 
but  the  anxieties  of  his  position  were 
too  great  to  allow  such  a  feeling  to 
last.  He  was  still  as  ignorant  as  ever 
of  his  whereabouts,  and  merely  knew 
this,  that  the  sea  was  beneath  him,  and 
between  him  and  that  sea  a  thunder- 
storm was  raging. 

For  now  there  came  up  from  be- 
neath sights  and  sounds  that  sliowed 
him  the  full  terrors  of  that  place  which 
he  had  left.  Flashes  of  vivid,  blinding 
lightning  were  flung  out  from  time  to 
time,  throwing  a  ghastly  glare  over  all. 
To  Maud  those  flashes  were  terrible, 
and  with  renewed  fear  she  once  more 
covered  up  her  head  and  so  shut  out 
the  sight.  Following  close  upon  the 
lightning  came  the  thunder,  peal  after 


peal,  in  long  volleys  which  rolled  around 
them  and  beneath  them  and  far  away 
in  endless  reverberations. 

Grimes  looked  over  the  side  of  the 
car  upon  the  scene  beneath.  There 
lay  a  vast  abyss,  without  form,  and 
void,  of  intense  blackness  ;  out  from 
the  midst  of  this  abyss  he  saw  the 
sudden  flash  of  the  lightning,  now  in 
long  forked  lines  which  seemed  to 
pierce  the  whole  misshapen  mass  with 
destructive  fury,  again  in  one  sudden 
uplifting  of  universal  light.  After  this 
followed  the  deafening  thunder.  To 
Grimes  it  seemed  as  though  this  scene 
of  destruction  was  taking  place  on  the 
earth  itself,  as  though  the  world  were 
going  to  ruin,  and  that  the  time  had 
come  for  the  consummation  of  all 
things  ;  and  though  he  on  the  wings  of 
his  balloon  rode  sublime  in  the  crystal- 
line sky,  yet  he  would  gladly  have 
exchanged  his  exaltation  for  any  place, 
however  lowly,  upon  the  solid  earth 
beneath. 

Now  the  deepest  anxiety  filled  his 
heart.  Where  was  he,  and  whither 
was  he  going  ?  Was  he  still  driving 
through  space  at  a  headlong  speed  ? 
Was  he  continuing  now  on  the  same 
course  as  before  ?  By  the  lightning- 
flashes  he  could  see  the  rolling  clouds  ; 
but,  as  far  as  he  could  judge,  his  course 
was  the  same  as  theirs.  It  was  there- 
fore probable  that  he  was  in  the  same 
current  of  wind  with  them,  and  was 
going  in  the  same  direction. 

But  where  ? 

Terrific  question  !  Where  ?  How 
could  he  answer  it  ?  East,  west,  north, 
or  south,  to  whatever  point  he  might 
be  driving,  whether  toward  the  pole,  or 
the  equator,  to  America  or  Asia,  it 
was  not  possible  for  him'  to  know ; 
and  how  long  would  this  continue  ? 
It  could  not  continue  forever,  for  he 
knew  that  there  were  limits  to  the  du- 
ration of  a  balloon's  flight.  Every  mo- 
ment some  portion  of  the  gas  escaped  ; 
it  grew  less  and  less  buoyant ;  and  at 
last  a  time  would  come  when,  after  the 
last  fragment  of  ballast  had  been 
thrown  out,  the  balloon  could  rise  no 
more,  but  begin   its   steady  and  un- 


136 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


interrupted  descent  to  the  earth  or  to 
the  sea. 

In  vain  the  eyes  of  Grimes  wandered 
around  over  every  part  of  the  si<y. 
Nothing  appeared  that  could  convey 
any  information.  If  he  could  but  see 
any  sign  of  land,  no  matter  how  bleak 
and  bare  it  might  be,  if  it  was  but  the 
peak  of  some  mountain,  he  would  feel 
relief.  But  no  land  appeared ;  and  out 
of  that  flaming  abysm  below  no  moun- 
tain-crest reared  itself  to  meet  his 
gaze.  The  night  also,  the  long  dura- 
tion of  this  darkness,  troubled  him. 
This  night  seemed  already  to  have 
lengthened  itself  out  to  an  incredible 
extent;  and  still  it  was  prolonging  it- 
self. Would  it  never  end  ?  Would 
morning  never  come  ?  Amid  this  dark- 
ness it  was  impossible  to  decide  upon 
any  course  of  action,  since  his  plans 
had  to  be  made  up  in  accordance  with 
his  surroundings  ;  but  now  his  sur- 
roundings were  hid  from  view,  and 
whether  the  sea  was  beneath  him  he 
could  not  tell.  He  could  no  longer 
hear  the  roar  of  waves,  even  though  he 
tried  hard  in  the  occasional  pauses 
between  the  thunder-peals.  Perhaps 
he  had  traversed  a  narrow  sea  and 
was  now  over  some  land ;  perhaps 
he  had  gone  up  so  far  that  the  sound 
of  the  waves  could  not  reach  him  ;  or 
perhaps  his  ears  were  so  dulled  by  the 
thunder  that  the  lesser  sound  of  waves 
could  not  be  distinguished.  But  what- 
ever the  cause  was,  he  certainly  could 
no  longer  hear  that  sound. 

And  now,  as  they  drove  along,  the 
storm  raged  below  as  before ;  and 
Grimes  still  watched  through  the 
gloom,  and  Maud  crouched  in  the 
bottom  of  the  car,  hiding  her  eyes  from 
the  lightning-flashes  and  closing  her 
ears  to  the  thunder-peals.  The  time 
seemed  endless  ;  and  each  hour,  as  it 
passed,  lengthened  itself  out  intolera- 
bly. Thus  they  remained,  until  at 
length  Grimes  began  to  m  ice  that 
the  lightning  flashed  less  frequently, 
and  that  the  thunder-peals  followed 
each  other  with  a  longer  interval  be- 
tween. 

The  subsidence  of  the  storm  aroused 


his  hope.  For  if  this  should  die  out, 
then  the  clouds  might  also  be  dissi- 
pated ;  and  if  he  should  survive  till 
morn'ng,  the  earth  would  not  be  shut 
out  from  his  view.  He  would  no  longer 
be  in  danger  of  being  again  caught  in 
the  gloomy  embrace  of  the  cloud,  the 
remembrance  of  which  even  yet  made 
his  heart  grow  cold.  With  hopes  like 
these  he  still  watched  and  listened 
patiently.  And  the  lightning  grew 
rarer  and  rarer,  and  the  thunder  less 
frequent  and  less  loud,  until  at  length 
both  ceased  altogether.  But  now  tiie 
scene  beneath  was  no  longer  lighted 
up  by  those  vivid  flashes  which  had 
formerly  illumined  it,  and  what  lay 
'.Iiere  was  to  his  sight  once  more  a 
black  abysm,  a  void  of  notliing- 
ness. 

The  hours  of  the  night  passed  on. 
Maud  remained  silent  and  motionless. 
The  storm  had  ceased,  the  lightning 
flashed  no  more,  and  the  thunder-peals 
no  longer  sounded  in  her  ears ;  but 
she  did  not  move  from  her  jiosiiion, 
nor  make  a  sign.  There  were  two 
strong  feelings  in  her  heart  that  kept 
her  quiet.  One  was  a  feeling  of  in- 
tense terror  and  apprehension.  This 
journey  amid  the  clouds  and  darkness, 
with  the  dread  accompaniment  of 
thunder  and  lightning,  seemed  to  her 
mind  unable  to  terminate  in  anything 
less  than  utter  ruin.  The  other  feel- 
ing was  one  of  deep  concern  for  her 
dear  love,  who  now  had  the  care  of 
her  upon  his  heart,  and  was  standing 
there  watching  and  waiting.  Perliaps 
he  was  bewildered  through  his  igno- 
rance of  balljon  navigation  ;  perhaps 
he  was  silent  through  despair  ;  perhaps 
he  had  some  plan,  and  was  devoting  all 
the  energies  of  his  mind  and  body 
toward  carrying  that  plan  into  accom- 
plishment. And  thus  Maud,  in  her  ter- 
ror for  herself  and  in  her  love  for  her 
dear  companion,  remained  motionless, 
through  the  conviction  that  if  there  was 
any  possibility  of  safety  it  must  depend 
upon  her  companion's  perfect  vigilance 
and  absolute  freedom  from  interruption. 
Well  she  knew  that  a  word  from  her 
would  bring  him  to  her  side  ;  that  at  a 


"^'i 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


^n 


cry  of  fear  he  would  be  willing  to  for- 
get everything  but  her,  and  sit  by  her 
side  witii  his  arms  encircling  her  as  he 
had  done  when  they  first  left  Paris. 
To  do  that  would  be  the  maddest  reck- 
lessness. So  she  resolved  to  maintain 
a  perfect  quiet  as  far  as  possible,  and 
neither  by  word  or  act  to  distract  his 
attention. 

And  now  the  cessation  of  the  storm 
had  resulted  in  a  quiet  so  profound 
tiiat  no  sound  was  heard.  The  quiet 
reassured  her,  and  gradually  the  haunt- 
ing terror  of  her  heart  grew  fointer. 
Gradually,  too,  the  fatigue  and  the  ex- 
citement through  which  she  had  passed 
produced  their  natural  effect.  She  was 
worn  out  by  the  events  of  that  day  and 
night ;  and  as  the  tremendous  pressure 
of  excitement  and  immediate  terror  was 
removed,  her  mind  grew  more  at  rest, 
and  slowly  she  let  herself  sink  into  a 
ligiit  and  gentle  sleep. 

Thus  Maud  at  length  slept ;  but 
Grimes  still  watched,  and  the  hours  of 
the  night  passed  slowly  on.  More 
than  once  he  had  been  surprised  at  the 
stillness  of  Maud,  and  had  stooped 
down,  fearing  that  she  might  have  again 
fainted.  The  first  time  he  took  Maud's 
hand,  and  she  returned  a  gentle  pres- 
sure without  saying  a  word.  The  next 
time  she  gave  no  pressure  of  her  hand  ; 
but  her  hand  was  warm,  and  by  her 
gentle  and  regular  breathing  he  knew 
that  she  was  asleep.  This  assurance 
gave  him  intense  delight,  for  his  chi«f 
trouble  all  along  was  the  fear  lest  his 
dear  love  might  be  suffering. 

Thus  the  hours  passed.  At  length 
Grimes  saw  a  faint  glow  of  light  on 
the  horizon,  and  hailed  with  joy  the 
appearance  of  the  dawn.  On  that  quar- 
ter lay  the  east ;  but  it  was  impossible 
to  tell,  even  by  that  assistance,  in  what 
direction  he  was  going ;  still  day  was 
coming,  and  soon  it  would  be  light,  and 
then  all  would  be  revealed.  He  there- 
fore fixed  his  eyes  hungrily  upon  that 
eastern  sky,  and  watched  with  inde- 
scribable eagerness  the  faint  glimmer  of 
the  dawn  that  appeared  in  that  quarter. 
But  the  progress  of  the  dawn  seemed 
painfully  slow ;  and  again  and  again  he 


impatiently  withdrew  his  eyes,  and  tried 
in  vain  to  fix  them  elsewhere.  But 
there  was  about  the  dawn  a  glory  and 
a  charm  that  Grimes  found  resistless  ; 
and  so,  as  often  as  he  withdrew  his 
eyes,  they  invariably  wandered  back 
again. 

Time  passed,  and  it  grew  steadily 
lighter.  Grimes  was  now  standing 
with  his  whole  gaze  and  all  his 
thoughts  taken  up  in  the  contemplation 
of  the  eastern  sky,  when  suddenly 
there  came  to  his  ears  a  faint  plashing 
sound  that  made  him  start.  It  sounded 
like  the  dashing  of  water.  He  looked 
over  the  side  of  the  car.  Again  the 
sound  came  to  his  ears,  and  yet  again, 
yet  nothing  was  visible  to  his  eyes. 
Beneath  him  there  was  a  dull,  opaque 
gloom,  in  which  nothing  whatever  was 
discernible;  nor  was  he  able  to  make 
out  whether  it  was  land,  or  sea,  or  the 
dense  clouds  which  hours  ago  had 
stretched  in  flame  and  uproar  beneath. 
Yet  there  was  no  mistake  about  the 
sound,  and  again  the  thought  came  that 
it  might  be  the  sea. 

He  had  now  something  else  to  at- 
tract his  gaze.  The  eastern  sky  lost 
its  ascendency  in  his  thoughts.  The 
mystery  beneath  now  arose  to  a  promi- 
nent place.  What  was  it .'  He  leaned 
over,  and  strained  his  eager  eyes  into 
the  gloom.  He  began  to  notice  some- 
thing like  motion  there.  What  was 
this  motion  ?  Was  it  rolling  clouds,  or 
was  it  the  movement  of  waves  ?  As 
he  listened,  he  once  or  twice  thought 
that  the  sounds  seemed  surprisingly 
near.  At  length  the  moving  objects 
beneath  him  became  more  I'stinctly 
revealed  in  the  increasing  li-'^t ;  at 
length  he  saw  the  movement  all  be- 
neatii  and  around  him,  regular  and 
recurrent,  while  the  sound  that  ac- 
companied that  movement  was  the 
sound  of  dashing  waves,  of  boiling 
surges,  and  of  foaming,  seething  bil- 
lows. 

Yes,  it  was  the  sea. 

Suddenly  all  was  revealed.  To  his 
utter  amazement  he  saw  that  this  sea 
was  immediately  beneath  him.  He 
could  see  it  at  last  distinctly.     Not 


;    1 

'    ,'i 

1: 


138 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


more  than  thirty  feet  seemed  to  inter- 
vene between  him  and  it,  and  the  bal- 
loon was  scudding  with  the  speed  of 
the  storm-wind  over  its  surface.  A 
moment  before  it  seemed  as  though 
the  ballr'on  was  motionless  in  a  calm. 
Now  he  perceived  that  it  was  rushing 
along  at  a  rate  of  speed  such  as  the 
hurricane  alone  may  attain. 

He  understood  all  now  in  a  moment. 
The  balloon  had  been  losing  its  buoy- 
ancy, and  had  been  gradually  descend- 
ing for  hours.  He  had  just  noticed 
this  in  time.  What  should  he  do  now  ? 
Should  he  arrest  that  flight .'  But  how  ? 
He  had  heard  of  aeronauts  throwing 
out  a  rope  and  allowing  it  to  trail  in 
the  water.  This  he  thought  of,  but 
saw  no  rope  that  was  adapted  for  his 
purpose.  There  was  only  one  thing 
left,  and  that  was  to  lighten  the  balloon 
and  once  more  ascend.  He  threw  out 
several  bags  of  ballast,  and  the  balloon 
arose  once  more,  and  passed  up  so  high 
that  the  sight  and  the  sound  of  the  sea 
was  left  behind. 

But  the  day  was  coming  on,  and 
soon  the  sea  would  reappear  in  the 
gathering  light.  Steadily  that  light 
now  increased.  Grimes  watciied  the 
scene  beneath,  and  gradually  beheld  it 
assume  tiie  form  of  waves,  no  longer 
lying  close  beneath  him  and  sending 
the  din  of  its  billows  up  to  his  ears, 
but  far  away  below,  at  an  immense  dis- 
tance, —  so  far  that,  as  the  waves 
became  defined  in  the  increasing 
light,  they  assumed  the  appearance  of 
wrinkles  upon  the  surface  of  the  wa- 
ter. 

The  light  grew  stronger.  Day  ad- 
vanced. At  last  the  daylight  conquered 
the  darkness  ;  and  though  the  sun  was 
not  yet  up,  still  the  whole  scene  be- 
neath him  was  revealed  to  the  gaze  of 
Grimes. 

There  was  the  sea.  All  around,  the 
horizon.  Upon  that  horizon  no  signs 
of  land  were  visible.  At  one  point 
which  lay  to  the  north  there  was  an 
accumulation  of  clouds,  but  what  they 
concealed  he  could  not  know.  It  was 
the  sea,  but  what  sea? 

Not  the  channel,  for  now  he  saw  that 


if  he  had  crossed  that  place  he  would 
see  land  beneath  him  by  this  time,  and 
not  water.  Could  it  be  the  Mediterra- 
nean ?  He  thought  not,  for  he  had 
heard  the  sound  of  the  surf  too  soon  to 
have  had  time  to  reach  that  sea.  Wli.it 
then?  Only  one  thing  remained.  It 
must  be  the  Atlantic. 

Tills  thought  had  once  before  come 
to  him,  and  he  had  struggled  with  it ; 
but  now  it  came  again,  full,  clear,  mani- 
fest, and  attested  by  the  evidence  of 
his  St.— .,s.  At  this  confirmation  of 
his  worst  fears  he  stood  perfectly  over- 
whelmed, staring  at  the  world-wide 
ocean.  In  one  place  he  saw  a  ship 
many  miles  away,  but  it  grew  faint- 
er and  fainter. 

There  was  now  only  one  thought  in 
his  mind. 

The  Atlantic ! 

That  meant  utter  destruction.  There 
was  now  not  one  ray  of  hope.  He 
could  do  no  more.  What  remained  ? 
Nothing  but  to  meet  his  fate  like  a 
man.  But  since  life  had  thus  run  out, 
why  should  he  not  enjoy  its  last  brief 
moments  ;  or  why,  since  he  had  so 
short  a  time  left  to  live,  should  he  keep 
himself  any  longer  apart  from  that  dear 
one  over  whom  his  soul  yearned  with 
such  intense  fondness. 

So  you  see,  with  his  soul  yearning 
wiih  tliis  intense  fondness,  and  his 
heart  throbbing  with  its  great  love,  he 
stooped  down,  and,  stealing  his  hand 
under  the  shawl  that  enveloped  Maud's 
head,  he  took  her  little  hand  in  his, 
and  sat  looking  at  her  with  a  face  full 
of  unutterable  love  and  longing,  with 
all  the  deep  and  fervent  love  of  his 
strong  nature  expressed  upon  his  glow- 
ing face. 

Maud  in  her  light  sleep  felt  that' 
touch,  and  it  thrilled  through  her.  She 
waked  at  once,  but  the  touch  was  so 
sweet,  and  reminded  her  so  tenderly  of 
her  dear  fond  lover,  that  she  remained 
motionless  for  some  little  lime,  just  for 
the  sake  of  prolonging  that  exquisite 
sentiment  of  bliss  and  ecstasy.  For  it 
was  his  hand.  He  was  here.  He  was 
by  her  side.  He  was  all  her  own. 
She  did  not  give  one  thought  to  the 


A  Covudy  of  Tenors, 


139 


very  extraordinary  fact  that  botli  of 
them  were  in  a  balloon,  and  inter- 
changing their  feelings  in  space.  Of 
the  balloon  and  of  space  she  had  no 
thought.  It  was  her  sweet,  sweet  love 
only,  and  the  fond  encircling  clasp  of 
that  dear  hand. 

And  now  Grimes  longed  to  feast  his 
eyes  with  a  sight  of  that  dear  face 
whose  exquisite  lineaments  were  im- 
pressed indelibly  upon  his  memory. 
So  he  reached  forth  his  other  hand, ' 
and  began  gently,  and  lovingly,  and 
tenderly,  to  draw  aside  the  shawl  whicli 
enveloped  that  face,  and  concealed  it 
from  him.  Maud  felt  the  gesture  ;  and 
as  the  shawl  was  slowly  removed,  she 
remained  still,  awaiting  the  moment 
when  his  dear  hand,  having  withdrawn 
the  veil,  her  eyes  should  gaze  upon  his 
adored  face.  At  this  prospect  a  deli- 
cious sense  of  expectation  filled  her 
mind  ;  a  sweet  confusion  gave  a  zest  to 
her  joy ;  and  a  delicate  flush  passed 
over  her  face. 

The  shawl  was  drawn  away. 

For  a-'  'nstant  Maud  sat  with  a  flush 
mantling  her  exquisitely  lovely  face, 
and  her  eyes  downcast,  while  a  faint 
smile  hovered  around  her  lips.  At 
length,  in  the  full  assurance  of  perfect 
happiness,  she  raised  her  eyes. 

The  blow  of  this  discovery  had  al- 
ready fallen  upon  Grimes.  As  he 
drew  back  the  shawl  he  saw  her  face 
for  the  first  time  distinctly,  and  saw  that 
it  was  Maud  Heathcote.  The  blow  was 
tremendous.  He  was  stunned.  He 
did  n't  think  of  anything.  He  did  n't 
try  to  account  for  anything.  He  did  n't 
wonder  where  Mrs.  Lovell  really  was. 
He  did  n't  have  any  thought  at  all. 
He  was  simply  stunned. 

And  so  it  was  that,  when  Maud,  in 
the  full  assurance  of  perfect  happiness, 
raised  her  eyes,  this  is  what  she  saw. 

She  saw  the  man  Grimes  staring  at 
her.  He  was  still  clutching  her  hand, 
and  holding  up  the  shawl.  He  was 
now  rigid  in  that  position  as  though 
petrified.  His  eyes  were  glassy,  star- 
ing ;  opposite  her,  but  seeing  her  not ; 
while  on  his  face  there  was  an  expres- 
sion of  dumb,  inarticulate  amazement ; 


the  expression  of  a  soul  in  a  .state  of 
collapse  ;  of  a  mind  in  a  state  of  daze  ; 
tlie  vacuity  of  thought ;  the  look  of  a 
being  who,  having  gone  out  of  his 
senses,  was  approaching  the  regions 
of  doddering  imbecility. 

As  Maud  looked  upon  this  man  the 
flush  passed  away  from  her  face,  and 
was  succeeded  by  a  ghastly  pallor  and 
an  expression  of  dull  and  torpid  terror; 
her  ashen  lips  parted  to  utter  a  cry 
which  yet  did  not  escape  them  ;  witii  a 
frightful  shudder  she  tore  her  hand 
away  from  his  clasp,  and  flung  herself 
back  in  a  recoil  of  deadly  abhorrence. 

Of  this  Grimes  took  no  notice  ;  and 
so  he  sat,  regarding  her  with  his  dazed 
eyes,  while  Maud  sat  staring  at  him 
in  fixed  and  rigid  horror. 


XXX. 

LAND  HOI 

The  two  sat  thus  for  some  time 
staring  at  one  another  in  silence.  At 
length  Maud's  head  fell  forward,  and 
burying  her  face  in  her  hands  she  burst 
into  a  flood  of  tears.  For  the  bitter- 
ness of  this  heart-breaking  disappoint- 
ment, and  the  abhorrence  whicli  she 
felt  at  finding  Carrol  exchanged  for 
Grimes,  and  the  despair  which  filled 
her  as  she  now  thought  that  Carrol 
after  all  must  still  be  in  the  hands  of 


his  enemy,  —  all  this  was  not  equal  to 
that  anguish  of  shame  that  she  felt  as 
she  thought  of  all  the  wealth  of  sweet 
and  tender  sentiment  which  she  had 
lavished  upon  this  hateful  associate. 
The  proud  and  sensitive  soul  of  Maud 
experienced  now  the  keenest  sense  of 
outraged  dignity  and  wounded  self- 
respect  ;  nor  could  she  forgive  herself 
for  the  mistake  which  she  had  made  so 
innocently. 

Maud's  outburst  of  passionate  tears 
served  to  rouse  Grimes  from  his  stupor. 
He  drew  a  very  long  breath  ;  stared 
hard  at  her,  as  she  sat  with  her  head 
buried  in  her  hands,  and  quivering  with 
convulsive  sobbings  ;  drew  anotlier  long 
breath ;  and  then,  without  saying  a 
word,  he  rose  to  his  feet,  and  leaned 


I40 


A  Comciiy  of  Terrors. 


over  the  side  of  the  car,  with  liis  face 
turned  away  from  her.  IScneath  liim 
was  the  sea,  above  him  was  the  sky, 
and  nothing  else  was  visible  save  in 
one  part  of  the  horizon  where  the 
clouds  were  gathered  in  giant  masses, 
and  white  specks  in  the  distance  that 
looked  like  the  sails  of  ships.  Ikit 
Grimes,  who  had  a  short  time  before 
been  so  keen  to  scrutinize  the  face  of 
nature,  and  so  vigilant  in  his  watchful- 
ness, W.-IS  now  blind  to  all  these  things 
that  were  spread  out  before  his  view. 
His  eyes  dwelt  upon  them,  but  he  saw 
them  not,  for  the  thoughts  that  filled 
his  mind  shut  out  all  perception  of  ex- 
ternal nature. 

For  a  long  time  each  preserved  this 
attitude  and  this  silence.  Maud  sat 
sobbing.  Grimes  glared  forth  over  the 
side  of  the  car.  Meanwhile  the  balloon 
drove  onward,  but  Grimes  paid  no  at- 
tention to  this.  He  did  not  try  to  see, 
by  watching  his  course  over  the  waves, 
in  what  direction  he  might  be  borne ; 
he  did  not  notice  whether  he  was  de- 
scending again  or  not ;  to  all  this  he 
remained  indifferent,  being  absorbed  in 
his  own  thoughts. 

At  length  he  turned  around  and  sur- 
veyed Maud  in  silence.  By  this  time 
he  seemed  to  have  overcome  the  emo- 
tions that  he  had  felt.  His  bewilder- 
ment and  intellectual  stupor,  born  from 
that  first  moment  of  amazement,  had 
now  departed ;  he  had  quelled  the  tu- 
mult of  his  soul.  Grimes  was  himself 
again  ;  somewhat  sad,  it  is  true,  al- 
most despairing  in  fact,  but  still  calm, 
self-contained,  courageous,  and  capable 
of  sympathizing  now  to  any  extent  with 
the  one  who  had  so  strangely  become 
his  companion  in  this  flight. 

Grimes  turned  thus,  and  stood  re- 
garding Maud  for  some  time  in  silence. 
She,  on  her  part,  sat  as  before,  but  she 
too  seemed  calmer.  Her  convulsive 
sobs  had  ceased.  She  sat  motionless 
and  in  silence. 

Grimes  cleared  his  throat,  partly  by 
way  of  preparing  to  speak,  and  partly 
also  to  rouse  her  attention, 

"  What  I  wish  to  remark,"  said 
Grimes,  and  he  spoke  in  a  very  gentle 


voice,  a  voice  which  was  full  of  kindli- 
ness and  friendliness, —  "what  I  wish 
to  remark  is  this,  that  our  peculiar 
position  here  requires  the  attention  of 
both  of  us.  I  think  you  do  not  know 
that  we  are  over  the  sea,  and  it  strikes 
me  that  you  'd  best  know  it  now.  I  '11 
agree  of  course  to  stand  by  you  to  the 
last,  and  save  you  if  I  die  for  it,  just 
the  same,  and  all  the  more  p'r'aps, 
since  I  brought  you  here." 

"  My  sister,  my  sister,"  said  Maud, 
in  a  broken  voice,  and  without  raising 
her  face. 

"  What  of  her  ?  "  asked  Grimes,  with 
an  effort. 

"  Did  you  not  say  that  she  was 
safe  ? " 

"  When  I  said  that  she  was  safe,  I 
thought  I  was  speakin'  to  her  of  you. 
I  meant  that  you  were  safe.  I  saw  the 
cab  come  with  Carrol  and  you,  as  I 
thought,  to  take  the  balloon.  It  must 
have  been  Carrol  and  her. 

"O,"  said  Maud  with  a  low  moan, 
"  God  grant  that  it  may  be  so  ! " 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? "  said  Grimes, 
startled  by  her  tone  of  voice  and  her 
exclamation. 

"You  cannot  possibly  know  it,"  said 
Maud,  looking  up  at  him  with  her  pale 
face  and  sorrowful  eyes;  "you  could 
not  have  known  it,  or  you  could  never 
have  made  the  mistake  you  did."  She 
spoke  calmly  now,  but  it  was  the  calm 
tone  of  utter  hopelessness.  "  Du  Poti- 
ron  arrested  her  and  Mr.  Carrol." 

"  Du  Potiron  !  "  said  Grimes,  with 
something  like  a  gasp.  This  was  the 
first  time  he  had  heard  of  Mrs.  Lovell's 
arrest. 

"  When  I  say  Du  Potiron,  I  don't 
mean  that  he  came  in  person.  He  in- 
formed against  her,  and  sent  some  sol- 
diers. I  suppose  of  course  that  he 
must  have  done  it ;  no  other  one  could 
have  had  any  motive  for  doing  it." 

"  Du  Potiron  I  "  cried  Grimes  again, 
quite  unable  to  believe  this. 

Upon  this  Maud  told  him  the  whole 
story  of  the  arrest,  and  of  her  fainting 
in  her  grief  and  terror. 

All  this  was  news  to  Grimes  of 
course,  and  this  story  communicated 


A  Comedy  of  Tenors. 


141 


to  liim  a  shock  iilmost  as  severe  as  the 
one  wliicli  lie  hail  but  lately  received. 
Once  more  he  was  reduced  to  silence. 
Thou<;hts  bitter,  dark,  and  furious  came 
to  his  mind.  He  could  only  blame  him- 
self. He  had  acted  too  hastily  and 
blindly.  He  had  done  the  very  thing 
that  he  ought  not  to  have  done.  He 
had  fled  from  Paris  at  the  very  time 
when  his  presence  was  a  thing  of  vital 
importance  to  Mrs.  Lovell.  Now  she 
was  in  the  power  of  a  miscreant  whose 
thirst  for  vengeance  would  be  increased 
tenfold  by  the  recent  injuries  received 
from  him.  And  he  had  fled  from  her ! 
Worse  too,  he  had  carried  off  her  sis- 
ter, this  despairing  girl,  perhaps  to  de- 
struction. 

Maud  now  questioned  him  about  the 
cab.  This  was  her  last  hope.  They 
might  possibly  have  got  away  ;  and  in 
that  case  they  would  naturally  enough 
hurry  to  the  rendezvous.  But  when 
she  heard  all  that  Grimes  had  to  tell 
about  the  cab,  she  saw  at  once  what 
faint  grounds  there  were  for  believing 
that  Carrol  and  her  sister  were  in  it ; 
and  once  more  she  sank  into  despond- 
ency. 

Now  the  silence  was  renewed,  and 
once  more  they  took  refuge  in  their 
own  thoughts.  Grimes  sat  down,  put 
his  elbows  on  his  knees,  and,  staring 
fixedly  at  the  bottom  of  the  car,  he 
gave  himself  up  to  all  the  bitter 
thoughts  that  were  naturally  roused  by 
the  recollection  of  his  mad  and  blind 
folly. 

Maud  had  thus  far  remained  in  the 
one  posi.'on.  At  length  the  stupor  of 
grief  and  abhorrence  into  which  she 
had  at  first  been  flung  by  the  discovery 
of  her  mistake  began  to  be  mitigated, 
and  was  succeeded  by  thoughts  that 
were  perhaps  less  painful,  but  more 
lasting.  These  referred  to  the  possible 
fate  of  Carrol  and  Mrs.  Lovell.  Over 
this  she  wearied  herself  in  the  endeavor 
to  make  some  favorable  conjecture,  un- 
til at  length  the  thoughts  became  intol- 
erable, and  she  tried  to  distract  her 
mind  by  something  else.  That  dis- 
traction lay  there  above  her  and  all 
around  her,  —  in   the    open   heavens 


wherein  she  was  flying,  in  the  sky,  and 
the  sea,  and  the  clouds.  Overhead 
the  sky  was  deeply  blue  ;  and  the  rays 
of  the  sun  threw  a  yellow  lustre  on  the 
vast  orb  overhead.  She  looked  up  to 
this,  and  then,  half  in  fcir,  half  in  curi- 
osity, she  arose,  with  the  intention  of 
looking  forth.  She  did  not  go  close  to 
the  side,  but  stood  about  in  tiie  middle 
of  the  car  and  looked  over  in  that  posi- 
tion. She  .saw  the  blue  sky,  and  siie 
saw  the  distant  horizon.  The  sides 
of  the  car  hid  the  rest  from  sight. 
She  moved  a  little  nearer,  anxious  to 
see  more.  As  she  moved  the  sea  un- 
folded itself, — ^'a  wide  waste  of  dark 
heaving  waters,  not  bounding  into  bil- 
lows or  foaming  in  fierce,  tempestu- 
ous surges,  but  undulating  ratiicr  in 
irregular  yet  smooth  masses  like  the 
upheaval  of  the  sea  that  is  caused  by  a 
distant  storm.  Maud  ventured  nearer 
to  the  edge,  till  she  was  able  to  look 
down  and  form  some  estimate  of  her 
position.  But  th*  sight  made  her 
giddy.  It  was  too  terrible.  It  filled 
her  with  fear.  She  shrank  back,  and 
her  eyes  rested  upon  the  horizon  and 
the  overiianging  sky. 

Now  she  looked  around  the  horizon, 
turning  as  she  did  so,  in  order  to  take 
in  its  whole  circuit.  She  had  surveyed 
about  one  half  of  that  scene,  when 
suddenly,  as  her  glance  swept  on,  it 
was  arrested,  and  an  involuntary  cry 
escaped  her,  so  abrupt,  and  so  peculiar, 
that  Grimes  was  roused  from  his  pro- 
found abstraction. 

He  had  been  sitting  motionless  in 
the  attitude  already  described,  involved 
in  his  bitter  thoughts  and  useless  re- 
grets, when  Maud's  sudden  cry  aroused 
him.  He  looked  up.  He  saw  her  star- 
ing at  something  beyond  the  balloon. 
In  a  moment  he  started  to  his  feet  and 
looked  also  in  the  same  direction. 

Land! 

In  spite  of  the  misery  that  filled  the 
soul  of  Grimes  he  felt  a  strange  and 
singular  exultation  at  the  sight  that 
now  met  his  eyes.  It  was  land  that  he 
saw,  a  long  coast  lying  directly  be- 
fore them.  This,  he  thought,  may  have 
been  that  cloud  or  haze  which  he  had 


14" 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


seen  on  tlie  horizon  at  early  dawn.  It 
was  land  then.  The  prospect  filled 
him  with  new  life,  and  all  the  energies 
of  his  nature  were  once  more  aroused. 
For  an  active  and  courageous  man 
such  as  he  was  could  not  avoid  feeling 
roused  at  the  prospect  that  now  lay  be- 
fore liim. 

Tlie  land  was  close  by.  They  had 
been  driving  steadily  tr  »vard  it,  while 
tliey  had  been  giving  themselves  up  to 
tlieir  feelings,  and  thus  they  had  not 
observed  it.  It  was  only  a  few  miles 
away.  The  shores  arose  very  gradu- 
ally ;  and  the  land  seemed  to  be  largely 
overspread  with  forests.  In  the  dis- 
tance arose  lofty  heights  crowned  with 
snow. 

A  short  survey  showed  Grimes  all 
this,  and  then  a  sudden  fear  came  to 
him  lest  in  the  terrific  speed  of  their 
career  they  might  be  dashed  to  pieces. 
His  next  thought  was  about  what  he 
ought  to  do,  —  should  he  let  the  balloon 
descend  into  the  water  near  the  siiore 
and  thus  check  its  progress,  or  should 
he  ascend  still  higher  so  "^s  to  choose 
his  own  place  for  making  a  descent  on 
the  land. 

He  sprang  to  the  side  of  the  car  and 
looked  down.  His  last  look  over  the 
side  had  shown  him  the  sea  several 
thousand  feet  beneath.  To  his  sur- 
prise he  now  beheld  that  sea  not  more 
than  a  hundred  feet  beneath.  Another 
thing  also  increased  his  surprise.  As 
he  looked  at  the  water  he  saw  that  the 
motion  of  the  balloon,  instead  of  being 
one  of  terrific  speed,  was  in  reality  so 
slow  that  it  did  not  seem  flister  that  an 
ordinary  walk.  The  wind  then  must 
have  died  away  to  the  gentlest  breeze. 
To  land  under  such  circumstances 
would  be  easy  enough  for  the  merest 
novice.  There  was  notliing  at  all  for 
him  to  do.  He  had  only  to  let  tlie 
balloon  drift  on,  and  make  use  of  the 
first  convenient  place  of  descent  that 
might  present  itself. 

All  this  added  to  the  excitement  of 
Grimes,  and  filled  him  with  hope.  This 
hope,  in  its  first  rush,  was  as  boundless 
as  his  despair  had  lately  been. 

''  Cheer  up,  miss,"  said  he,  in  his 


old  original  voice,  —  a  voice  full  of 
heartiness  and  generous  enthusiasm,  — 
"  cheer  up,  miss.  We  're  all  right ; 
we  '11  come  out  right  side  up  after  all. 
We  '11  land  there  as  easy  as  gettin'  out 
of  a  wagon.  Cheer  up,  miss.  We  '11 
go  back  to  Paris  yet,  and  be  there  in 
time  to  save  them.  Only  look  over  the 
side  now,  —  see  how  gradual  and  gentle 
we  move  on.  It 's  like  a  walk.  Why,  a 
child  might  be  here  now  and  land  there 
out  of  this  balloon  unassisted  !  " 

In  spite  of  Maud's  d°e,i  dejection,  the 
words  of  Grimes  produced  a  very  cheer- 
ing effect.  She  could  not  be  otherwise 
than  excited  and  cheered  at  this  sud- 
den prospect  of  escape  from  a  terrific 
fate.  Encouraged  by  what  Grimes  had 
said,  she  ventured  to  look  over  the  side, 
and  what  she  saw  was  so  entirely  differ- 
ent from  what  she  had  imagined,  that 
she  had  no  fear  at  all,  and  not  a  particle 
of  giddiness.  They  were  so  near  the 
surface  of  the  sea,  that  the  distance 
down  was  nothing.  She  had  imagined 
miles  to  lie  between  her  and  the  earth, 
and  she  saw  only  a  space  that  can  be 
compared  to  the  height  of  any  common 
church  steeple. 

"  Now  don't  you  be  a  bit  afraid," 
continued  Grimes.  "  I  '11  engage  that 
you  put  your  foot  on  that  ground,  and 
not  harm  a  hair  of  your  head.  You 
only  keep  cool,  and  don't  let  yourself 
be  excited,  and  we  '11  be  all  right." 

But  little  more  was  said.  Each  stood 
watching  the  land.  They  drew  slowly 
and  gradually  nearer.  As  they  drew 
nearer,  they  sav/  here  and  there  open- 
ings in  the  forest,  and  farm-houses,  and 
finally  behind  a  hill  they  saw  a  clnirch 
with  a  tower.  The  houses  were  all  of 
humble  structure,  and  the  church  was 
small.  WHiat  land  it  might  be  they 
could  not  tell.  The  church  showed 
them  one  thing,  and  that  was  that  it 
was  a  Christian  land  at  any  rate.  Could 
it  be  any  part  of  the  British  coast  ? 
Could  it  be  France  ?  Grir  es  had  even 
a  wild  idea  of  America,  for  I'.iis  forest 
country  witli  its  clearings  had  certainly 
a  strong  suggestiveness  of  the  New 
World. 

Nearer  they  came  and  still  nearer. 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


143 


Ivas 
|iey 

^ed 
it 

mid 

fen 
:st 
ily 
;w 

ler. 


They  watched  with  intense  anxiety  the 
land  to  wliicli  they  were  going.  They 
saw  that  the  shore  before  them  was  all 
covered  with  forests,  and  that  the 
cleared  lands  were  on  one  side  and  out 
of  their  course.  Still  they  were  not  so 
distant  but  that  they  could  easily  reach 
them  if  tliey  once  descended. 

The  balloon  moved  on.  The  shore 
before  them  was  a  gradual  declivity, 
covered  with  forest  trees,  and  as- 
cended steadily  as  it  receded,  until  far 
away  it  rose  into  high  hills,  beyond 
which  were  those  snow-covered  moun- 
tains which  they  had  seen  when  they 
first  caught  sight  of  the  land. 

Nearer  and  nearer. 

They  watched  and  waited. 

And  now  Grimes  laid  his  hand  upon 
one  of  the  grappling-irons  so  as  to  be 
ready  to  throw  it  out  when  he  reached 
the  proper  place.  At  length  the  shore 
was  reached,  and  slowly  and  majesti- 
cally the  aerial  car  conveyed  them  away 
from  the  limits  of  that  terrible  sea  that 
they  had  traversed,  into  the  doma'n 
of  the  friendly  land.  Over  this  they 
passed.  Beneath  them  were  the  tops 
of  the  forest  trees.  Grimes  thought  of 
pulling  the  valve-rope,  but  restrained 
his  hand  and  waited.  Before  them  tlie 
land  rose  higher,  and  the  tree-tops  were 
on  a  level  with  the  car.  In  the  dis- 
tance they  rose  far  above  that  level. 

At  last ! 

The  moment  had  come. 

There  was  a  rustling  and  a  scraping 
sound,  and  then  the  car  tilted  slightly. 
The  progress  of  the  balloon  was 
checked  a  little,  but  it  still  moved. 
"  Catch  hold  of  the  car,"  said  Grimes  ; 
"hold  on  tiglit."  Maud  did  so.  Grimes 
then  threw  out  the  grappling-iron  and 
pulled  at  the  valve-rope.  The  balloon 
stopped,  and  the  vast  orb  lay  along  the 
tops  of  the  forest  trees,  while  the  car 
sank  down  till  it  was  stopped  by  the 
branches  beneath.  In  a  few  minutes  a 
peculiar  smell  arose,  pungent,  distress- 
ing, choking. 

The  car  was  now  lying  half  on  its 
side,  resting  upon  some  tree  branches. 
The  trees  were  lofty  and  were  the  kin- 
dred of  those  Miltonic 


"  Pines 
Hewn  on  NorweRi-in  hills  to  be  the  mast 
Uf  some  tall  ammiral." 

"You  must  go  down  first,"  said 
Grimes,  "and  quick,  too,  or  we'll  be 
suffocated  with  this  gas." 

With  these  words  he  threw  the  shawl 
around  her,  passing  it  under  Maud's 
arms,  and  over  this  he  passed  one  end 
of  a  coil  of  rope  which  was  in  the  car, 
then  he  helped  her  out  upon  tlie  branch 
of  the  tree  beneath,  and  Maud  began 
to  make  the  descent.  It  was  not  diffi- 
cult, especially  with  the  assistance  of 
the  rope,  and  in  a  short  time  she  was 
on  the  solid  ground.  Grimes  then  hasti- 
ly followed,  and  reached  the  ground 
nearly  suffocated  with  the  fumes  of  the 
gas.  And  he  brought  along  with  him 
the  tin  box. 

They  now  walked  back  through  the 
forest  toward  the  shore,  after  which 
they  turned  off  in  the  direction  where 
the  houses  were.  These  they  reached 
without  difficulty.  The  people  had 
seen  the  balloon,  and  were  in  a  state 
of  wild  excitement.  The  men  had  gone 
into  the  woods  toward  the  place  where 
it  seemed  likely  to  f.t'.l,  and  only  the 
women  and  children  were  left  behind. 

They  regarded  the  balloonists  with 
kindly  and  sympathetic  faces,  and 
Grimes  at  once  began  asking  them 
questions  in  French. 

Tiiey  shook  their  heads  and  an- 
swcroi-'  in  a  language  which  he  had 
never  heard  before. 

He  tried  English. 

They  shook  their  heads  and  spoke 
as  before.  Grimes's  only  idea  at  first 
was  to  know  where  they  were,  but  this 
was  the  very  thing  that  he  could  not 
know.  He  then  made  signs  for  some- 
thing to  eat.  This  met  at  once  v.'ith  a 
response,  and  he  and  Maud  were  taken 
to  the  best  house  in  the  settlement. 
He  afterwards  found  out  that  it  was  the 
pastor's  house.  Here  \\z  was  shown 
into  a  comfortable  •/oom,  and  was  made 
to  understand  by  signs  that  he  should 
have  something  soon.  Maud  was  con- 
ducted elsewhere  by  the  kindly  and  sym- 
pathetic women.  While  waiting  here, 
Grimes  saw  a  box  of  matches  on  the 


144 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


mantel-piece.  He  noticed  a  label  upon 
it.  A  bright  idea  seized  him.  He  took 
it  up  and  read  the  label.  To  his  amaze- 
ment he  read  the  name  "  Christiania," 
and  Christiania  he  knew  was  in  Nor- 
way, so  that  this  land  must  be  Nor- 
way. 

The  good  people  soon  furnished  a 
bounteous  repast,  at  which  the  fugi- 
tives, in  spite  of  their  anxieties,  were 
able  to  satisfy  the  cravings  of  hunger. 
By  the  time  their  meal  was  finished  the 
pastor  returned.  He  had  been  off  with 
the  rest  after  the  balloon,  which  had 
been  brought  back  in  safety.  The  pas- 
tor spoke  English  ;  and  at  once  Grimes 
was  able  to  find  out  the  facts  of  the 
case.  It  was  true  that  he  was  in  Nor- 
way. Thus  in  that  dread  voyage  he 
had  traversed  the  wide  seas,  and  landed 
here.  A  slight  variation  of  the  wind 
might  have  carried  them  to  the  Polar 
Sea.  It  was  nine  o'clock  when  they 
descended,  and  about  eight  when  they 
left,  so  that  the  whole  journey  of  nearly 
nine  hunc'red  miles  had  been  made  in 
thirteen  hoars. 


XXXI. 

OUT  OF  PRISON. 

After  his  recent  danger  Carro^  did 
not  feel  safe,  nor  was  he  inclined  to 
allow  himself  to  become  the  helpless 
victim  of  Du  Potiron  and  his  friends. 
Under  these  circumstances  he  en- 
deavored to  find  some  way  of  secur- 
ing safety  for  himself  and  Mrs.  Lovell. 
There  was  no  possibility  of  doing  this, 
however,  in  any  regular  way,  for  all 
things  were  now  in  an  irregular  ron- 
dition,  and  lawlessness  prevailed  to  a 
greater  or  less  extent.  One  only  hope 
presented  itself;  and  that  was  to  hide 
himself  under  the  ample  wing  of  the 
American  eagle,  or,  in  other  words,  to 
put  himself  under  the  protection  of  the 
American  minister,  who  alone  of  all 
the  diplomatic  corps  remained  in  Paris. 
There  wa^  absolutely  no  other  to  whom 
he  could  look  for  help,  and  so  he  went 
to  i\\^.  American  embassy.  The  great 
rush  was  at  last  over ;  most  of  the 


friendless  and  the  unprotected  had  been 
cared  for  as  far  as  possible  ;  and  Car- 
rol found  a  queue  of  not  more  than  sev- 
enty-two people.  After  waiting  pa- 
tiently, his  turn  came,  and  he  obtained 
an  interview.  At  that  interview  he 
not  only  gained  what  he  wished,  but 
far  more  than  he  even  had  hoped. 
For  he  learned  that  the  American  min- 
ister, after  long  and  arduous  effort,  had 
at  length  obtained  from  the  Prussians 
permission  for  the  departure  of  those 
Americans  in  Paris  who  might  wish  to 
go.  Now  Carrol  was  not  a  citizen  of 
the  United  States,  nor  was  Mrs.  Lovell 
a  citizeness  ;  but  both  were  Americans, 
the  one  by  birth,  the  other  by  res- 
idence. The  little  difficulty  was  gen- 
erously overlooked  by  the  American 
embassy,  and  these  applicants  were 
accepted  as  coming  under  the  Prus- 
sian permit,  in  letter,  if  not  in  spirit. 
Notice  was  given  Carrol  of  the  time 
appointed  for  the  departure  of  the  fa- 
vored ones,  and  of  the  place  at  which 
they  were  to  assemble  ;  and  thus  that 
flight  upon  which  Grimes  had  ven- 
tured at  such  terrible  risk,  Carrol  was 
able  to  undertake  with  the  prospect  of 
perfect  safety. 

Such  good  news  as  this  roused  Mrs. 
Lovell  from  her  distress,  and  restored 
something  like  her  usual  life  and  spirit. 
H?r  situation  in  Paris  "vaD  full  of  dan- 
ger ;  and  the  flight  of  Maud  made  her 
all  the  more  eager  to  depart.  Besides, 
out  of  the  promptings  of  her  jealousy 
there  had  arisen  an  intense  desire  to 
find  out  what  had  actually  become  of 
the  fugitives. 

Her  intention  was  to  go  to  England. 
Her  dear  papa  lived  there,  a  few  miles 
away  from  Southampton.  There  was 
no  other  place  to  which  she  could  go, 
and  her  old  home  now  seemed  like  a 
haven  of  rest  ;  there  was  the  only 
place  in  which  there  was  any  hope  of 
recovering  from  the  distresses,  anxie- 
ties, and  afflictions  of  her  lot ;  there, 
too,  she  would  learn  the  fate  of  Maud, 
and  if  any  calamity  had  occurred,  she 
would  at  least  be  able  to  offer  some  con- 
solation to  her  dear  papa,  and  receive 
comfort  and  condolence  from  him. 


T 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


145 


It  is  not  necessary  to  narrate  the 
events  connected  with  the  departure  of 
the  Americans  from  Paris.  It  was 
quiet,  and  without  any  greater  excite- 
ment than  was  naturally  connected 
with  the  joy  of  escape  from  prison.  As 
for  Carrol  and  Mrs.  Lovell,  they  made 
the  journey  in  safety,  and  at  length 
reached  Southampton. 

The  country  seat  of  Mr.  Heathcote 
was  not  on  the  line  of  rail.  To  get 
there  it  was  necessary  to  go  about  twen- 
ty miles,  and  then,  leaving  the  rail,  to 
take  a  carriage  for  the  rest  of  the  way, 
which  was  some  ten  or  twelve  miles. 
It  was  about  noon  when  they  reached 
Southampton,  and  late  in  the  day  when 
they  left.  After  a  ride  of  about  twenty 
miles  they  reached  the  station  men- 
tioned, and  left  the  train.  They  found 
themselves  in  a  very  beautiful  little 
village,  the  most  conspicuous  objects 
in  which  were  a  fine  old  country 
church  and  an  equally  fine  old  inn. 
To  this  they  directed  their  steps. 

Mrs.  Lovell  was  excessively  fatigued, 
and  at  once  was  shown  to  a  bedroom, 
where  she  intended  to  lie  down  and 
rest  until  it  was  time  to  go  on.  Carrol 
at  once  made  inquiries  about  procuring 
a  carriage. 

To  his  great  disgust,  he  learned  that 
he  could  not  procure  one  that  evening, 
for  the  only  one  they  had  was  already 
engaged  by  a  gentleman  who  had  ar- 
rived there  that  same  day.  The  car- 
riage had  been  away  all  day,  and  the 
gentleman  was  to  have  it  the  moment 
it  returned. 

Carrol  was  now  at  a  loss  what  to 
do  ;  so  he  sauntered  up  and  down  the 
village  street,  hoping  that  something 
might  turn  up  to  help  him.  But  the 
more  he  thought,  the  more  certain  it 
seemed  that  they  would  have  to  re- 
main here  for  the  night. 

In  a  restless  and  impatient  state  of 
mind  he  returned  to  the  inn,  and 
sauntered  slowly  into  tlie  parlor. 

A  fire  was  burning  there  which  threw 
a  cheerful  glow  about  the  apartment. 
A  sofa  was  drawn  up  on  one  side  of 
this,  and  on  this  sofa  a  lady  was  seat- 
ed. Her  elbow  was  resting  on  one 
10 


arm  of  the  sofa,  and  her  hand  support- 
ed her  head.  Her  eyes  were  clown- 
cast,  and  so  absorbed  was  she  in  her 
own  thoughts  that  she  took  not  the 
slightest  notice  of  Carrol. 

Carrol  noticed  her  with  a  vague  idea 
of  the  grace  of  this  figure  and  tlie  sad- 
ness of  the  beautiful  face  ;  but  the 
next  instant  there  came  to  his  mind 
the  shock  of  an  astounding  and  over- 
whelming recognition.  He  uttered  an 
involuntary  cry,  and  stopped,  unable  to 
advance  another  step. 

At  the  sound  of  this  cry  of  amaze- 
ment the  lady  started  and  looked  up. 
As  she  saw  Carrol,  she  too  could  not 
repress  an  exclamation.  The  next  mo- 
ment she  sprang  to  her  feet.  Carrol 
rushed  toward  her  and  caught  her  in 
his  arms. 

"Maud!    Maud!     O  my  darling!" 

"  Paul !     O  Paul !  " 

For  about  five  minutes  there  was 
notliing  but  a  torrent  of  exclamations, 
expressive  of  every  emotion  of  love, 
of  tenderness,  of  joy,  of  wonder,  and  of 
rapture.  After  this  there  was  a  varia- 
tion ;  and  an  equally  profuse  torrent 
of  eager  questions  was  poured  forth,  to 
which  no  answers  were  given  by  either, 
for  each  was  too  intent  to  ask  about 
the  other  to  satisfy  the  curiosity  of  that 
other. 

But  in  the  midst  of  this,  another 
thought  came  to  Maud. 

"  My    sister.     O    my    sister  I     O, 
where  is  she?      Is  she  safe.-"      O,    is. I'' 
she  safe  ? " 

"  Yes,"  said  Carrol,  "  safe  and  per-, 
fectiy  well." 

"  O,  thank  God ! "  cried  Maud.  "  But 
where  is  she?  Is  slie  hct\.  ?  O,  tell 
me,  is  she  here  ?  O,  I  must  see  her, 
my  darling,  darling  Georgie  !  " 

And  Maud  started  off,  she  had  no 
idea  where,  with  the  vague  hope  of 
finding  her  sister  outside. 

But  Carrol  restrained  her.  He  saw 
her  movement  with  dismay.  If  Maud 
should  once  see  Mrs.  Lovell,  he  would 
certainly  not  see  her  again  that  night. 
So  he  tried  to  detain  her  a  little  lon- 


ger. 

"  Wait,"  he  said,  ■ 


'  wait,  I  implore 


146 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


you.  Listen  now,  be  patient.  You 
sec,  Mrs.  Lovell  has  n't  slept  any  for 
tlirec  or  four  niglits." 

"  O  my  poor,  svv  et  darling  ! "  sighed 
Maud. 

"  Well,  you  know,  the  moment  she 
arrived  here,  she  had  to  be  taken  at 
once  to  her  room,  so  as  to  get  a  little 
sleep,  you  know  ;  and  it 's  very  im- 
portant that  she  should,  and  you  'd 
better  not  burst  suddenly  upon  her, 
you  know,  on  account  of  the  shock, 
and  all  tliat  sort  of  thing,  you  know  ; 
for  she  's  exceedingly  nervous  just 
now,  —  but,  that  is,  you  know,  of  course 
you  won't  have  to  wait  long.  Just  let 
her  have  an  hour's  sleep,  and  she  '11 
be  all  right ;  so,  don't  you  tliink  you 
can  restrain  your  impatience  ?" 

"  O,  I  must,  of  course,  if  poor 
Georgie  is  so,  poor  darling !  but  I  'm 
awfully  impatient,  and  only  to  think  of 
her  being  in  the  house,  why,  it  fairly 
drives  me  wild  ;  but  if  she  is  trying  to 
sleep,  and  so  much  depends  on  it,  why, 
I  suppose  I  can  wait  one  hour,  but 
O,  may  n't  I  just  steal  up,  and  take 
one  little  peep  at  the  darling,  just  one 
peep,  she  sha'  n't  see  me  .'  " 

But  to  this  Carrol  demurred,  and  he 
portrayed  Mrs.  Lovell's  excessive  ner- 
vousness and  her  need  of  sleep,  and 
the  dangers  of  a  sudden  shock,  in  such 
alarming  colors  that  Maud  was  fairly 
frightened  into  waiting  for  a  little  while 
at  least. 

"  Come,"  said  Carrol,  "  do  you 
think  you  feel  strong  enough  for  a  lit- 
tle stroll  ?  Come  and  let  us  get  away 
from  this  public  place,  for  I  'm  crazy 
to  hear  how  you  got  here.  Will  you 
come  ?  And  when  we  come  back,  you 
will  be  able  to  see  your  sister." 

Maud  demurred  somewhat  at  this, 
but  Carrol  begged  so  hard,  that  at 
length  she  consented,  on  the  under- 
standing that  they  should  not  go  out 
of  sight  of  the  inn,  so  that  if  anything 
happened  she  might  return. 

It  was  a  lovely  evening.  They 
strolled  along  through  the  little  vil- 
lage. All  around  was  scenery  of  the 
most  attractive  description,  where  was 
presented  all  that  could  please  the  eye 


and  delight  the  taste.  Just  outside  the 
village  the  road  was  overhung  by  lofty 
trees  ;  by  its  side  a  little  streamlet  ran, 
on  the  borders  of  which  there  was  a 
rustic  seat.  Here  Carrol  persuaded 
Maud  to  sit  down.  Before  them  the 
brook  babbled  ;  in  the  distance  were 
wooded  hills  ;  and,  beyond  these,  the 
splendors  of  a  sunset  sky.  In  this 
situation  Maud's  stipulation  about  not 
going  out  of  sight  of  the  inn  was  not 
regarded  very  particularly ;  but  they 
were  at  any  rate  not  very  far  away, 
and  they  were  on  the  edge  of  the  little 
village. 

Here  Maud  told  Carrol  the  events 
of  her  astonishing  journey,  and  that 
part  of  her  story  which  referred  to  their 
adventures  after  landing  in  Norway 
may  be  briefly  explained.  The  peas- 
ants had  packed  up  the  balloon,  and 
the  pastor  had  secured  a  conveyance 
for  them  to  Christiania.  Here  they 
found  the  steamer  about  to  leave  for 
London,  and  had  embarked  in  it.  Their 
adventures  had  created  a  great  sensa- 
tion in  that  town  ;  and  Grimes  had 
made  the  sensation  permanent  by  pre- 
senting his  balloon  to  the  i\Iuscum. 
They  had  arrived  at  London  the  day  be- 
fore, and,  after  a  night's  rest,  had  come 
as  far  as  this  place,  which  they  had 
reached  at  about  two  o'clock.  Grimes 
had  tried  to  get  a  carriage,  but  without 
success,  as  the  only  available  one  was 
off  on  a  journey.  He  had  waited  for 
some  hours  in  a  desperate  state  of  im- 
patience ;  and  about  an  hour  ago  he 
had  told  her  that  he  was  going  to  walk 
up  the  road  in  the  direction  in  which  the 
carriage  was  expected.  So  he  was  on 
that  road  now,  either  returning  tri- 
umphantly in  the  carriage,  or  else  toil- 
ing along  impatiently  on  foot. 

Carrol's  story  then  followed,  and 
thus  all  was  cxpLiined.  It  may  be  as 
well  to  state  tiuit  these  narratives  were 
not  full  and  frank  on  eitlier  side  ;  for 
each  found  certain  reservations  neces- 
sary ;  and  thcrefni-c  made  no  allusion 
to  certain  incidents,  tlie  remembrance 
of  wiiicii  was  very  strong  in  the  minds 
of  both,  and  could  not  be  thought  of 
without   the    consciousness    on    their 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


H7 


parts  that  they  had  been  in  false,  hu- 
miliating, and  excessively  silly  posi- 
tions. 

Meanwhile  Mrs.  Lovell  had  been 
seeking  for  rest  without  finding  it. 
The  bedroom  was  chilly,  and,  after  a 
vain  effort  to  go  to  sleep,  she  deter- 
mined to  go  in  search  of  some  more 
comfortable  place.  So  she  descended 
the  stairs  and  entered  the  inn  parlor. 
Here  the  comfortable  air  of  the  room 
and  the  cheerful  glow  of  the  fire  formed 
an  irresistible  attraction.  The  room 
was  low  and  large  and  cosey ;  the 
sofa  was  drawn  up  by  the  .s-ide  of  the 
fire,  and  seemed  to  be  the  very  place 
that  was  best  suited  for  her,  —  a  place 
where  she  could  obtain  rest  and  warmth 
at  once. 

She  took  her  position  in  the  very 
place  where  Maud  had  recently  been 
sitting,  and  the  warmth  and  comfort 
of  the  room  soon  began  to  act  most 
agreeably  upon  her.  It  was  very  quiet 
also.  No  noise  was  heard  outside  ;  no 
stamping  footsteps  arose  inside  to  irri- 
tate her  delicate  nerves.  She  thought, 
to  herself  that  this  was  the  first  mo- 
ment of  real  comfort  that  she  had 
known  for  several  days.  She  thought 
too,  with  regret,  that  she  must  soon 
quit  this  pleasant  place  ;  for  Carrol 
was  seeking  a  conveyance,  and  it  would 
soon  lie  ready.  Indeed,  in  anticipa- 
tion of  this  she  had  come  down  with 
her  wraps  on,  and  she  sat  there  by 
the  fire  all  ready  to  start  for  her  home 
at  a  moment's  warning. 

The  fire  was  flickering  in  a  dull  way, 
and  the  darkness  had  increased  to 
some  extent,  so  that  objects  in  the 
room  were  not  very  distinctly  visible. 
Mrs.  T  '.as  sitting  in  such  a  way 

that  hci  iK.ul  was  a  little  in  the  shad- 
ow, and  not  directly  illuminated  by 
the  firelight.  She  was  lost  in  thought, 
and  at  that  moment  those  painful  emo- 
tions which  had  been  agitating  her  ever 
since  the  flight  of  Grimes  were  once 
more  beginning  to  disturb  her.  In 
the  midst  of  this  the  roll  of  carriage- 
wheels  was  heard  outside.  She  thought 
at  once  that  this  was  Carrol,  and  felt 
half  vexed  at  the  necessity  that  there 


now  was  of  leaving  this  cheerful  room 
for  the  toilsome  road.  She  sat,, how- 
ever, in  the  same  position.  Soon  a 
footstep  was  heard  in  the  room  ad- 
vancing toward  her.  Thinking  it  was 
Carrol,  she  did  not  look  up,  but  sat 
looking  down,  lost  in  thought,  and 
waiting  for  him  to  speak. 

The  new-comer  now  began  to  speak, 
and  he  did  speak  to  some  purpose. 

"  Wagon  's  ready  at  last,  miss,"  said 
this  voice.  "  They  've  changed  horses. 
I  stuck  by  them  till  thr  v  did  it,  and 
made  them  look  sharp  ;  ;tnd  now,  miss, 
all  you  've  got  to  do  is  to  just  jump  in. 
I  see  you've  got  your  things  on,  and 
I  'm  glad  you  're  so  prepared.  Come 
along  then.  I  '11  see  you,  as  I  said, 
safe  home,  after  w'lich  I  '11  be  in  a 
position  to  bid  you  good  by." 

At  the  first  sound  of  this  voice,  Mrs. 
Lovell  started  as  though  she  had  been 
shot,  and  looked  up  with  as  much 
amazement  as  that  which  Maud  had 
felt  at  the  sudden  sight  of  Carrol.  She 
looked  up  as  he  went  on  talking.  He 
was  not  looking  at  her  or  anything  else 
in  particular,  but  was  merely  giving 
her  this  information.  Besides,  her 
face  was  in  the  shadow,  so  that  it  was 
not  very  particularly  discernible.  Mrs. 
Lovell  looked  up  then  and  beheld  the 
manly,  the  stalwart,  and  the  familiar 
figure  of  Grimes.  It  was  the  face  of 
Grimes  that  beamed  before  her,  illumi- 
nated by  the  glow  of  the  firelight.  It 
was  the  voice  of  Grimes  that  addressed 
her  and  asked  her  to  go  with  him. 

r.ut  this  was  not  all. 

Ilcr  eyes,  as  they  wandered  over  the 
face  and  form  of  Grimes,  rested  at  last 
upon  something  which  he  was  carrying 
in  his  left  hand.  This  was  a  tin  box, 
round  in  shape,  that  is  to  say  cylindri- 
cal, lacquered,  and  bearing  his  name 
in  large  gilt  letters.  What  was  this 
box  ?  What  did  it  mean  ?  What  did 
it  contain  ?  Ah  !  did  not  her  heart 
bound  within  her  as  it  gave  the  answer 
to  those  questions  ?  Had  she  not 
heard  from  Carrol  about  that  tin  box  ? 
How  tirimcs  had  deposited  it  in  the 
balloon  in  Paris,  as  the  only  thing 
which  he  intended  to  take  in  the  shape 


148 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


of  luggage  ?  And  now  that  he  ap- 
peared with  it  here,  did  it  not  show 
how,  during  all  his  mysterious  flight, 
he  must  have  clung  to  this  ?  Was  he 
not  now  clinging  to  it  ?  Did  she  not 
hear  him  call  her  miss,  thus  evidently 
mistaking  her  for  Maud,  and  speak- 
ing of  good  by  ?  Maud  then  was  noth- 
ing. Her  jealousy  had  been  baseless 
and  absurd,  By  that  which  he  grasped 
in  his  strong  hand  she  knew  that  his 
heart  was  true,  and  in  clinging  to  this 
she  saw  that  he  was  clinging  to  that 
which  in  his  estimation  was  the  best 
representative  of  herself.  What  was 
that  which  he  thus  bore  about  with 
him  and  clung  to  with  such  tenacity  ? 
Her  chignon.  But  that  chignon  now 
ceased  to  be  a  chignon.  It  became  a 
sacred  thing,  hallowed  by  the  deathless 
devotion  of  a  true  and  constant  heart. 
It  became  a  glorious  thing,  since  it 
had  been  glorified  by  its  flight  with 
him  through  the  trackless  realms  of 
ether ;  it  became  a  thing  of  beauty,  a 
joy  forever ;  in  fact,  it  was  the  apotheo- 
sis of  the  chignon. 

Mrs.  Lovell  saw  exactly  how  things 
were.  Grimes  and  Maud  had  made 
their  journey  in  safety.  By  an  amaz- 
ing coincidence  they  had  come  to  this 
place  at  the  same  time  that  she  and 
Carrol  had  come.  Maud  must  even 
now  be  here,  for  Grimes  had  evident- 
ly mistaken  her  for  Maud.  He  had 
been  procuring  a  carriage.  It  was  all 
ready,  and  he  was  going  to  take  her 
home. 

And  what  then  ? 

A  wild  idea  arose  in  her  mind,  which 
had  an  irresistible  attraction  for  one 
who  was  so  whimsical.  It  was  to  take 
him  at  his  word.  He  had  mistaken 
her  for  Maud.  Very  good.  She  would 
be  Maud.  She  would  go 
She  would  allow  him  to 
home. 

And  Maud,  —  did  no 
thought  about  her  arise  in 
Did  she  not  feel  any  longing  to  em- 
brace that  lost  sister  so  tenderly  loved, 
so  lamented,  who  had  been  so  won- 
drously  preserved  on  such  an  unpar- 
alleled voyage  ?    Not  at  all.     In  fact, 


with   him. 
drive    her 


yearnmg 
her  heart  ? 


there  were  various  circumstances  which 
made  her  feel  quite  at  her  ease  about 
Maud.  In  the  first  place,  she  under- 
stood that  Maud  was  well.  In  the 
second  place,  she  had  not  yet  got  over 
her  resentment,  baseless  though  it  was, 
against  Maud,  for  her  usurpation  of 
her  place  in  the  balloon ;  in  the  third 
place,  Maud  was  too  near  home  to  be 
in  any  danger  whatever  ;  in  the  fourth 
place,  Carrol  was  here,  and  would  in- 
evitably find  her  out ;  and  in  the  fifth 
place,  the  temptation  of  going  with 
Grimes  in  an  assumed  character,  and 
watching  his  conduct  and  demeanor  un- 
der the  circumstances,  was  irresistible. 

She  decided  at  once. 

She  was  dressed,  as  has  been  said, 
for  the  drive  which  she  had  expected 
to  take  with  Carrol.  She  dropped  her 
veil,  and  rose  in  silence.  Grimes  took 
no  further  notice  of  her,  but  walked 
toward  the  door.  She  followed  him 
outside.  A  brougham  was  drawn  up 
in  front  of  the  house.  Grimes  opened 
the  door  for  her.  She  got  in  and  sat 
down.  Grimes  then  followed  and  sat 
by  hei"  side ;  and  she  noticed  that  he 
placed  his  precious  tin  box,  with  ten- 
der and  reverential  care,  on  his  knees  ; 
and  leaned  his  arms  upon  it,  as  though 
he  would  preserve  it  from  every  con- 
ceivable danger.  Thus  they  sat  there, 
side  by  side,  and  the  driver  cracked  his 
whip,  and  the  horses  started  off,  and 
soon  they  were  rolling  along  the  road. 

Outside  the  village  they  met  a  gen- 
tleman and  a  lady  walking  back.  It  was 
dusk  now,  and  their  faces  could  not  be 
seen.  Neither  Grimes  nor  Mrs.  Lovell 
noticed  them.  But  the  gentleman  and 
the  lady  stopped  as  the  brougham 
drove  by,  and  the  gentleman  said  to 
the  lady,  "  There  goes  that  fellow  that 
has  appropriated  the  only  carriage  in 
the  place." 

And  the  lady  answered  cheerfully, 
"  O,  well,  you  know  it  really  does  n't 
matter.  It  will  be  such  perfect  delight 
to  see  Georgie,  that  I  'm  sure  I  don't 
care  whether  I  get  home  to-night  or 
not  at  all." 

And  the  brougham  passed  out  of 
sight. 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


149 


,t 


XXXII. 

IN  A  BROUGHAM. 

The  brougham  drove  off  with  Mrs. 
Lovell  and  Grimes  inside.  Grimes  sat 
in  the  attitude  already  described,  lean- 
ing forward  slightly,  with  the  tin  box 
on  his  knees,  and  his  elbows  on  the 
tin  bo.x,  rigid  and  silent.  For  some 
time  nothing  was  said,  and  Mrs.  Lovell 
waited  patiently  for  her  companion  to 
begin  the  conversation.  But  her  com- 
panion had  no  idea  of  doing  anything 
of  the  kind.  In  the  first  place,  he  of 
course  thought  that  Maud  was  with 
him.  Now  Maud  had  only  been  known 
to  him  as  silent,  sad,  and  reticent ; 
never  volunteering  any  remark,  only 
answering  in  monosyllables  when  ad- 
dressed, and  incapable  of  carrying  on  a 
conversation.  Thus  she  had  appeared 
to  him  while  travelling  together  recent- 
ly. But  again  he  had  thoughts  of  his 
own  which  occupied  his  mind  thorough- 
ly. These  thoughts  occupied  his  mind 
now.  They  referred  solely  and  exclu- 
sively to  Mrs.  Lovell,  whose  fate  was  a 
matter  of  never-ending  anxiety  to  him. 
His  mind  was  not  now  in  this  place. 
It  was  in  Paris.  It  was  inspecting  all 
the  city  prisons,  and  conjecturing  with 
deep  anguish  the  place  where  Mrs. 
Lovell  might  be. 

Mrs.  Lovell  waited  and  grew  impa- 
tient. This  silence  was  not  what  she 
wanted.  From  one  point  of  view  it 
was  not  disagreeable,  since  it  showed 
what  must  have  been  the  attitude  of 
Grimes  toward  Maud.  She  saw  that 
he  must  have  been  indifferent  and  in- 
attentive, if  his  present  demeanor  af- 
forded any  clew  to  the  past.  At  the 
same  time  it  was  disagreeable,  for,  as 
a  matter  of  course,  she  was  particularly 
anxious  to  converse  with  him.  So,  as 
he  did  not  begin,  she  volunteered  her- 
self. 

"  It 's  really  very  pleasant  this  even- 
ing, is  it  not,  Mr.  Grimes  ?  "  said  she, 
in  a  friendly  way. 

Now  it  may  be  supposed  that  Grimes 
would  have  at  once  detected  her  by  her 
voice,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact  Grimes 
did  nothi:  ,  of  the  kind.    For  as  she 


and  Maud  were  sisters,  their  voices 
had  a  certain  family  lesemblance,  and 
though  there  certainly  was  a  difference, 
yet  it  was  not  very  glaring.  Besides, 
Grimes  was  too  much  occupied  with 
other  things  to  be  easily  aroused. 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  shortly. 

Mrs.  Lovell  waited  for  somethin? 
more,  but  nothing  more  was  forthcom- 
ing. She  felt  that  the  subject  of  the 
weather  afforded  not  quite  enough  ex- 
citement to  rouse  her  companion, 
and  so  she  resorted  to  something 
else. 

"  Do  you  think  that  the  driver  knows 
his  way,  Mr.  Grimes?"  she  asked, 
with  apparent  anxiety. 

"  O  yes,"  said  Grimes,  in  the  same 
tone  as  before.  After  which  he  changed 
his  position  a  little.  "  I  'm  afraid,"  he 
continued,  "  that  I  'm  crowdin'  you.  I 
did  intend  to  ride  outside,  but  unfor- 
tunately there 's  only  room  for  one,  so 
I  had  to  squeeze  in  here.  Any  way 
the  ride  won't  be  very  long." 

This  was  also  flattering,  since  it  gave 
an  additional  proof  of  the  indifference 
of  Grimes  to  Maud.  At  the  same  time, 
however,  it  was  rather  disappointing, 
since  it  showed  a  persistent  determina- 
tion to  hold  aloof  from  all  friendly  con- 
versation. So  again  Mrs.  Lovell  re- 
lapsed into  silence. 

After  a  time  she  tried  once  more. 

"  I  wonder,"  said  she,  mournfully, 
"  what  can  have  become  of  poor  dear 
Georgie.  Do  you  know,  I  feel  awfully 
anxious  about  her,  Mr.  Grimes  ?" 

This  Mrs.  Lovell  said  with  an  inten- 
tion of  maintaining  the  character  of 
Maud.  Upon  Grimes  this  remark  pro- 
duced an  effect  which  was  the  very  op- 
posite of  what  she  had  intended.  In- 
stead of  rousing  him  to  converse  upon 
some  congenial  subject,  it  only  served 
as  a  fresh  reminder  of  his  despair.  He 
heaved  a  sigh  so  heavy  that  it  ended  in 
a  groan  ;  after  which  he  relapsed  into 
his  former  silence,  and  not  a  word  es- 
caped him. 

Mrs.  Lovell  was  certainly  disap- 
pointed at  the  failure  of  this  attempt, 
and  began  to  feel  a  despair  about  her 
ability  to  arouse  him.    But  she  was 


150 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


not  one  who  could  give  up  easily,  and 
so  she  tried  once  more. 

"  I  wonder  what  in  the  world  you  've 
got  in  that  absurd  box,"  said  she. 
"You've  really  brouglit  it  all  the  way 
from  Paris  you  know,  Mr.  Grimes." 

At  this  Grimes  started.  For  there 
was  in  these  words  and  in  the  tone  of 
voice  a  decided  flavor  of  Mrs.  Lovcll, 
and  nothing  at  all  of  Maud.  A  wild 
thought  flashed  through  his  mind,  but 
it  was  at  once  suppressed. 

"  What  an  infernal  fool  I  must  be," 
he  thought,  "  but  what  a  likeness  there 
was  to  —  to  her.  I  'm  afraid  I  'm  get- 
tin'  delirium  tremens.  I  've  taken  al- 
together too  much  whiskey.  I  've  got 
to  stop  my  grog,  or  it'll  go  hard  wiili 
me."  These  thoughts  passed  through 
his  mind,  but  he  made  no  reply.  This 
was  really  rude  in  him,  and  so  Mrs. 
Lovell  thought,  but  this  rudeness 
awakened  no  resentment  whatever  in 
her  mind.  She  bore  it  with  exemplary 
meekness,  and  patiently  returned  to 
the  task  of  rousing  him  into  saying 
something. 

"  You  really  are  awfully  reticent,  you 
know,  and  it 's  horrid  ;  now  is  n't  it, 
Mr.  Grimes  ?  "  said  she,  quite  forget- 
ting the  role  of  IMaud  which  she  had 
intended  to  maintain,  and  speaking 
more  than  ever  in  her  own  style  and 
manner. 

Grimes  noticed  the  tone  of  voice 
again,  and  the  style  and  manner  of  the 
words.  How  like  they  were  to  the 
well-known  and  fondly  remembered 
idioms  and  expressions  of  Mrs.  Lovell ! 
Grimes  thougiu  of  this,  and  heaved 
another  of  those  sighs  which  were  pe- 
culiar to  him  now,  — a  sigh  deep,  mas- 
.  sive,  long-drawn,  and  ending  in  a  kind 
of  groan. 

"It's  somelhiu',  miss,"  said  he,  in 
words  that  seemed  wrung  out  of  him, 
—  "it's  somctliin',  miss,  that  is  very 
precious.  It's  my  most  precious  treas- 
ure." 

"  O  dear,  Mr.  Grimes,  what  a  very, 
very  funny  way  that  is  for  one  to  be 
carrying  money,  you  know  !  Dut  do 
you  really  think  it 's  safe,  and  do  you 
not  feel  just  a  little  bit  afraid  of  rob- 


bers and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  Mr. 
Grimes  ?" 

This  struck  Grimes  as  being  more 
like  Mrs.  Lovell  than  ever.  He  could 
not  account  for  it.  For  the  solemn  and 
mournful  Maud  to  rattle  on  in  this  style 
was  to  him  unaccountable.  And  how 
had  she  acquired  that  marvellous  re- 
semblance to  her  sister  in  tone  and  in 
expression  ?  He  had  never  noticed 
any  such  resemblance  before.  There 
was  also  a  certain  flippancy  in  the  re- 
mark and  in  the  tone  of  voice  which 
jarred  upon  him.  He  was  still  puzzled, 
but  finally  concluded  in  a  vague  way 
that  Maud's  joy  in  at  last  approacliing 
her  home  was  so  excessive  that  it  had 
quite  changed  her. 

'•I  wonder  why  you  didn't  leave  it 
at  the  inn,"  she  continued,  as  she  saw 
that  he  said  nothing ;  "  it  would  be 
really  far  safer  there  and  far  less  trou- 
blesome, you  know,  Mr.  Grimes,  and 
you  could  get  it  again.  I  'm  sure,  / 
can't  imagine  why  one  should  carry 
all  one's  property  with  one  wherever 
one  goes,  Mr.  Grimes." 

"It  isn't  money,"  said  Grimes, 
"it's  something  far  more  precious." 

"  Is  it  really  ?  How  very  funny  ! 
Only  fancy ;  why  really,  Mr.  Grimes, 
do  you  know,  you  are  speaking  posi- 
tively in  riddles." 

"  There  are  things,"  said  Grimes, 
solemnly,  "  in  comparison  with  which 
jewels  are  gaudy  toys  and  gold  is  sor- 
did dust.     And  this  is  one  of  them." 

"  \Vell,  I  must  say,"  remarked  Mrs. 
Lovell,  "  /  never  heard  any  one  ex- 
press himself  in  such  an  awfully  mys- 
terious way.  And  so  you  brought  it 
all  the  way  from  Paris.  How  very 
funny  !  Well,  really,  Mr.  Grimes,  I  can 
only  say  that  travelling  in  a  balloon 
must  be  a  very  trivial  thing,  since  you 
have  been  able  to  keep  that  with  you 
all  t'.ic  time  and  produce  it  now  ;  and 
really,  you  know,  it 's  so  awfully  ab- 
surd, when  one  conies  to  think  of  it, — 
now  is  n't  it,  Mr.  Grimes  ?  '• 

This  was  not  Maud  at  all.  Mrs. 
Lovcll  know  it,  yet  for  the  life  of  her 
she  could  not  help  speaking  as  she 
did.     Grimes   knew  it  too.     He  knew 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors, 


151 


that  there  was  no  delirium,  and  that 
Maud  Ilcatlicote  would  never  have  ut- 
tered those  words  to  him.  That  mixture 
of  teasing  absurdity  and  inconsequen- 
tial badinage,  with  evident  knowledge 
of  the  secret  contents  of  the  tin  box, 
could  not  possibly  be  expressed  by  any 
person  except  one.  Yet  what  possi- 
bility was  there  that  this  one  should  be 
here  by  his  side  calmly  driving  home  ? 
The  thought  was  so  bewildering  that 
his  brain  reeled. 

In  an  instant  all  his  gloom  and  ab- 
straction vanished.  His  heart  beat 
fast.  A  wild  idea,  a  wilder  hope, 
filled  mind  and  heart.  Yet  in  the 
midst  of  this  excitement  one  thought 
was  prominent.  He  remembered  his 
past  mistakes.  He  was  aware  that 
they  had  arisen  from  a  too  credulous 
yielding  to  his  own  belief  or  fancy.  He 
was  now  resolved  to  accept  nothing 
from  credulity,  or  hope,  or  fancy,  or 
even  belief;  but  to  see  with  his  own 
eyes  the  actual  fact.  Who  was  this 
person  who  was  here  with  him  ?  That 
was  what  he  wanted  to  know. 

He  was  intensely  excited,  yet  he 
was  resolved  to  undergo  no  more  de- 
ceptions. He  determined  to  see  for 
himself.  It  was  now  quite  dark,  and, 
though  he  peered  through  the  gloom, 
yet  nothing  satisfactory  was  revealed. 
He  certainly  saw  the  outline  of  a 
lady's  figure,  —  but  what  'lady  ?  Was 
it  Miss  Heathcote,  or  was  it  —  could 
it  be,  —  might  it  be,  —  dare  he  hope,  — 
was  it  possible  .' 

He  could  endure  his  suspense  no 
longer. 

With  trembling  fingers  he  fumbled 
in  his  waistcoat-pocket !  He  found  a 
match! — a  thing  he  always  carried 
there  !  He  drew  it  forth  !  He  struck 
it  wildly  against  the  side  of  the  brough- 


am 


t   I   t 


The  light  flashed  forth  !  He  held 
up  the  blazing  match,  and  with  eager 
gaze  looked  at  the  face  of  his  compan- 
ion. 

i\stounded  at  this  unexpected  inci- 
dent of  the  match,  and  confounded  by 
this  abrupt  discovery,  Mrs.  Lovcll, 
though  not  unwilling  to  be  discovered, 


slirank  back  and  made  a  famt  eflbrt  to 
drop  her  veil,  which  had  been  raised 
since  she  had  entered  the  brougham. 
But  Grimes  arrested  her  hand. 

And  there,  illuminated  by  the  blaze, 
close  beside  him,  just  before  him,  he 
saw  unmistakably  the  face  of  Mrs. 
Lovell.  Her  eyes  were  downcast,  there 
was  a  flush  of  confusion  anil  tin.id  em- 
barrassment upon  her  face,  yet  that 
face  was  the  face  of  the  one  being  on 
earth  who  was  worth  far  more  to  him 
than  all  the  earth  and  all  that  it  con- 
tained ;  yea,  verily,  and  even  more 
than  life  itself. 

The  sensation  was  tremendous.  How 
c.T.me  she  here  ?  It  was  unaccounta- 
ble. It  was  miraculous.  A  thousand 
emotions  of  wonder  rushed  through 
him,  but  all  at  length  found  utterance 
in  one  exclamation. 

"  Wal !  I  '11  be  darned  !  " 

The  burning  match  dropped  from 
his  hands,  and  he  caught  her  in  his 
arms.  Mrs.  Lovell  uttered  a  little  dei> 
recatory  shriek. 

"  I  've  got  you  now  at  last,"  mur- 
mured old  Grimes,  in  a  dislocated  sort 
of  way,  doddering,  in  fact  maundering, 
and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  —  "I  've  got 
you  now,  and  I  ain"t  goin'  to  let  you 
go.  I  don't  know  how  'a  thunder  you 
got  here,  and  I  don't  want  to.  I  only 
know  it  's  you,  and  that  's  enough. 
Don't  explain,  I  beg  ;  let  me  only  have 
the  rapture  of  knowin'  that  this  is 
really  my  darling  and  no  other  —  " 

"O  dear!  I'm  sure  I  don't  ''  nv 
what  in  the  world  I  am  ever  to  ..j," 
sighed  Mrs.  Lovell. 

*  *  #  *  * 

On  the  return  of  Carrol  and  Maud 
to  the  inn,  the  latter  had  at  once  gone 
to  find  her  sister.  On  seeing  no  signs 
of  her  she  had  become  terribly  alarmed  ; 
and  Carrol  was  utterly  bewildered. 
Tlicy  had  questioned  evcryhndy,  and  at 
last  found  out  that  the  gentleman  who 
had  engaged  the  carriage  had  returned 
with  it,  and  had  gone  off  with  some 
lady.  Several  of  the  people  of  the  inn 
had  seen  the  lady  enter  the  carriage, 
and  the  gentleman  go  in  after  her.  Af- 
ter this  they  had  driven  away. 


152 


A  Comedy  of  Terrors. 


At  first  both  Carrol  and  Maud  were 
utterly  stupefied  ;  but  at  length,  as  the 
facts  of  the  case  suggested  themselves, 
their  stupefaction  faded  away,  and 
there  came  in  its  place  a  calm,  rational, 
and  intelligent  apprehension  of  the 
event,  a  sweet  and  exquisite  apprecia- 
tion of  the  situation.  Whether  it  had 
been  a  blunder  or  a  distinct  under- 
standing between  the  two,  they  could 
not  tell.  They  preferred,  however, 
to  think  that  Grimes  in  the  dusk 
had  taken  Mrs.  Lovell  for  Maud,  and 
that  Mrs.  Lovell  had  in  the  same  way 
taken  Grimes  for  Carrol.  The  idea  of 
this  possible  blunder  afforded  delicious 
en  oyment  to  bothj  and  they  both 
lost  themselves  in  conjectures  as  to 
the  mode  in  which  these  two  might 
finally  discover  the  truth. 

On  the  following  day  a  carriage  came 
from  Heathcote  Hall,  and  Maud  and 
Carrol  drove  there.  On  their  arrival 
they  found  Mrs.  Lovell  and  Grimes, 
who  had  reached  the  place  of  their  des- 
tination in  safety.  Maud's  papa  was 
there  to  welcome  her,  and  to  welcome 
them  all  in  fact ;  for  he  turned  out  to 
be  a  fine,  warm-hearted,  and  truly  hos- 
pitable old  boy,  who  doted  on  his 
daughters,  and  had  been  quite  wild 
with  anxiety  about  them  when  they 


were  in  Paris.  Grimes  and  Carrol 
were  received  by  him  with  all  the  hon- 
ors and  all  the  welcomes  that  he  could 
offer  them  as  the  saviors  and  deliverers 
of  his  daughters  from  a  cruel  and  terri- 
ble fate. 

Frail  human  nature  might  exult  in 
pausing  here  for  the  sake  of  gloating 
over  the  raptures  of  these  lovers  on 
their  final  reunion  after  such  tremen- 
dous adventures  ;  but  duty  forbids  ; 
and  I,  as  a  conscientious  novelist,  must 
hasten  to  a  close. 

I  beg  to  remark  then,  that,  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course,  these  lovers  were  all 
united  in  holy  matrimony  at  the 
earliest  possible  time.  The  event  took 
place  on  the  27th  of  November,  1870, 
as  may  be  seen  by  referring  to  any  old 
number  of  the  local  paper.  It  was  a 
deeply  interesting  occasion. 

The  happy  pairs  then  scattered. 
Two  or  three  days  after  the  event  Mrs. 
Lovell  wrote  a  rapturous  letter  to 
Maud. 

"  Dear  Seth,"  she  wrote,  "  is  all  that 
ray  fondest  fancy  wished,  and  far  more. 
Do  you  know,  Maudie  darling,  he  has 
not  yet  spoken  one  cruel  wordKo  me,  — 
not  one." 

Maud's  reply  to  this  consisted  of 
glittering  generalities. 


THE   END. 


Cambridge  :  Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  Welcli,  Bigelow,  &  Co. 


^\^"i 


